60 countries in the world are responsible for 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
But within this group of the largest emitters, there is progress in terms of climate protection.
According to the data of the new climate protection index, some countries are moving rapidly towards the goal of climate neutrality: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain and Morocco top the list.
In the last places in the overall standings are Canada, Iran, Saudi Arabia and finally Kazakhstan.
Oil production plays a major role in these countries.
60 countries and the EU in the ranking
The NewClimate Institute and the environmental protection organizations Germanwatch and Climate Action Network have been creating the climate protection index every year since 2005.
60 countries and the EU are assessed in the four categories of greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energies, energy consumption and climate policy.
The greenhouse gas emissions are weighted twice for the final index value.
The podium remains empty
Denmark, which achieved the best value in the ranking, is only in fourth place - according to the authors, places one to three remain free again, as no country is actually on a path with the 1.5 degree target can be achieved according to the current status of efforts.
»We are at the beginning of the decade, which is primarily about the implementation of the climate targets that have been set.
Denmark, Sweden and Norway, like Great Britain and Morocco, are doing a lot better than the rest of the world, «says Niklas Höhne from the NewClimate Institute, one of the authors of the index.
“Our index also shows that the race to zero greenhouse gas emissions has begun.
It remains to be seen whether Germany can advance to the top group. "
Germany does well
The Federal Republic of Germany is ranked 13th in this year's Climate Protection Index. This means that the Federal Republic has improved compared to previous years and is one place ahead of Finland, but behind Lithuania and Malta.
The authors describe the high level of emissions per capita in Germany, the faltering expansion of renewable energies and a national climate policy rated as “weak” as problematic.
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Thea Uhlich from Germanwatch and co-author of the index said: “The current rise in emissions in Germany makes the challenge even greater.
Under the new federal government, we need a 100-day program right at the start of the term of office and then serious progress in all sectors.
This includes phasing out coal by 2030, a turbo for the expansion of renewable energies and urgent reductions in emissions in the transport sector too. "
Who are the largest emitters?
The world's largest emitter, China, is ranked 37th in the climate protection index, mainly due to high emissions and very poor energy efficiency.
In both areas, the targets for 2030 are far from a path compatible with the 1.5 degree limit.
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In the case of the second largest emitter, the USA, the improvement in the ranking - but only in 55th place - can only be attributed to the change in the White House: The political evaluation is significantly better than under Joe Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.
"It will have to be seen in the coming years whether Biden's policy is actually bearing fruit when it comes to renewables, energy efficiency and ultimately emissions," said Niklas Höhne from the NewClimate Institute.
Where are renewable energies used most often?
In the "Renewable Energies" category, Norway was the only country to receive the outstanding rating of "very good".
In addition to the high proportion of hydropower, the country is increasingly relying on wind and solar energy and is pursuing ambitious expansion goals.
However, fossil fuels are still being promoted in Norway.
"If Norway were to stop developing oil and gas fields in the Arctic, the country could be the first ever to occupy one of the previously unoccupied first three places in the overall ranking of the index," said Jan Burck from Germanwatch.
Norway is followed by the overall winner Denmark in this category.
With 23rd place, China achieved a better rating than Germany.
What about climate policy?
In addition to the Scandinavian countries, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal and France also showed that they are resolutely pursuing the goal of climate neutrality.
At the end of the table on climate policy are the countries that slow down global efforts the most: Australia received the worst possible rating of 0.0 in this category and still falls behind Brazil and Algeria.
But five EU countries are also rated as »very bad« in the area of climate policy: Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.
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