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The financial crisis has boosted Ireland’s ranking to 17th
place among the 58 countries featured in the annual Climate
Change Performance index compiled by Germanwatch and Climate
Action Network (CAN) Europe.
An unintended positive side-effect of the crisis was that
it had a favourable influence on emissions trends of Ireland
and Spain, both of which climbed up 10 ranks in the emission
trend indicator, the authors say in their report.
The first three places in the index are blank - as usual
- “as no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate
change”. Sweden is back at the top, in fourth place.
“The UK, ranked fifth, has shown strong elements of environmental
leadership, but recently there have been worrying signs ...
that the UK is stepping back from its efforts, which has kept
them from achieving the top position” - the report says.
The Climate
Change Performance Index 2012 evaluates and ranks
the 58 highest-emitting countries based on carbon emissions
and climate policy. This year, more than 200 experts in these
countries - including Pat Finnegan of Grian
- helped analyse national policies.
Overall, the ranking of countries was “influenced by the
worldwide economic crisis”, which resulted in emerging economies
surging ahead of many developed countries in terms of carbon
emissions. Brazil lost its top ranking last year for this
reason.
Five of the 10 biggest emitters - Iran, in 60th place, China
(57), Russia (56), Canada (54) and the US (52) - were rated
with “very poor performance”. Among them, China was the only
one with a good policy rating, said Jan Burck of Germanwatch.
The three lowest-ranking countries this year are Saudi Arabia,
Kazakhstan and Iran, mostly due to “discouraging” emissions
levels and trends. The US climbed two places, mainly due to
the effect of the recession reducing its “very high” emissions.
“This year’s index shows worrying results - the worldwide
addiction to coal has not been stopped, but rather increased,”
said Mr Burck said. If this trend continued, it would “lock
in high-carbon development, giving the world no chance of
limiting warming".
Wendel Trio, director of CAN
Europe, said - “The EU and other constructive developed
and developing countries, including the emerging economies,
cannot wait for the US, Canada and other laggards any longer.
“The EU plays an important role in the development of this
‘coalition of the responsible’. Even while the results
show clear differences between EU member states, the EU needs
to unite behind the goal to cut its emissions by at least
30 per cent by 2020.”
South Africa, host of the UN’s 17th climate conference, is
ranked 38th. Of the country, the report says - “On the one
hand, emissions are increasing, but on the other hand, experts
gave it a relatively good national policy rating.”
Source - The Irish Times
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