Status: 11.14.2022 14:20
In the annual climate protection index, Germany dropped to 16th place. According to the authors of the study, the main problem in this country is high traffic emissions. The top three places were vacant once again.
By Anna Osius, ARD Studio Cairo
White lines: Positions one to three on the climate protection index have remained empty this year. “We were unable to award the top three because no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change,” says study co-author Jan Burck of the non-governmental organization German Watch. The best country in terms of climate protection is Denmark in fourth place, followed by Sweden and Chile.
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Germany is in 16th place – three positions lower. The reason: traffic emissions are still high.
| place, put | country | |
|---|---|---|
1 | 🇧🇷 | |
two | 🇧🇷 | |
3 | 🇧🇷 | |
4 | Denmark | |
5 | Sweden | |
6 | Chile | |
7 | Morocco | |
8th | India | |
9 | Estonia | |
10 | Norway | |
🇧🇷 | 🇧🇷 | |
16 | Germany | |
🇧🇷 | 🇧🇷 | |
52 | United States | Source: ccpi.org |
Accusation: Transport Ministry blocks progress
“Germans drive a lot of cars, we don’t have enough public transport”, says Burck, and diagnoses the need for action on the part of politicians: “Germany must continue taking the encouraging step towards renewable energies”, says the author.
Policy decisions that were passed must now be implemented. The expansion of renewable energy is also expected to increase massively. “At the same time, the Department of Transportation can no longer block any advances in transportation, which it is currently doing.” Massive investments must also be made in energy efficiency, “because we have to at least halve our energy consumption”.
USA rises – to 52nd place
At the bottom of the climate protection index are Saudi Arabia and Iran, both countries apparently not doing enough to protect the climate. The US and China are also in the red, but there is some hope from current US policy, the researchers said: “The US has moved up four spots this year to 52nd place. This is mainly because an implementation package has already been decided.”
59 countries cause 90% of emissions
The climate protection index assesses the climate protection efforts and violations of 59 countries plus the EU and compares the climate protection performance of industrialized and emerging countries. It is the countries that are responsible for 90% of global emissions. To do this, the network relies on extensive data.
Professor Niklas Höhne from the New Climate Institute in Cologne: “This is the 18th time in a row that we have published the Climate Change Performance Index. We assess four different factors: greenhouse gas emissions, use of renewable energy, energy consumption and current climate policy of the respective countries.”
The researchers’ overall assessment: Much more needs to be done internationally to protect the climate – especially now in the current energy crisis. Hohne said:
We see that the energy crisis is really getting in the way of an ambitious climate policy. There is a gold rush for gas, many countries are investing in new infrastructure for fossil fuels, especially gas. And if we’re serious about the Paris Climate Agreement, we don’t need new gas infrastructure. Countries that were early adopters of renewable energy are now in a much better position.
COP27: Climate protection index presented: Germany drops 3 places
Anna Osius, ARD Cairo, 11/14/2022 13:03