Top Countries In Climate Protection

We have some astoundingly beautiful places here on earth. Protecting them, and the ecosystem that sustains them is vitally important to the survival of our planet, and by extension, us. The fight against climate change has seen varying degrees of participation from countries all over the world. The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) serves as a tool to find out the leaders and laggards in climate change mitigation. It also aims to encourage countries to perform better by making it possible to compare the progress made by individual countries in protecting the climate. It also makes international climate politics more transparent. As per the CCPI 2020, Sweden, Denmark, and Morocco are the best performers in climate protection.

About The Index

The CCPI 2020 ranks countries on the basis of their performance in 14 indicators belonging to four categories. These include energy use, GHG emissions, climate policy, and renewable energy. Interestingly, although the CCPI 2020 evaluated 57 countries and the EU, no country scored high enough to rank among the first three. So, the top three ranks of CCPI 2020 remain blank.

Sweden, Leading The Change

For several years, Sweden has ranked top on many environment protection rankings. In 1972, Sweden was the world's first country to host a UN conference on global environment. Three years earlier in 1967, it also became the first in the world to pass an environmental protection act. Since then, Sweden has always strived to improve the status of its environment by reducing carbon emissions and pollution. Today, over 50% of the country's energy supply is derived from renewable resources. The government of Sweden aims to go fossil fuel free by 2045. The country is also a major hub of environmental research. 

Morocco Makes Africa Proud

With a rank of 6, one less than 2019, Morocco is one of the best climate protectors in the world. This North African country is praised for its ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions drastically in the coming decades. The country also achieved considerable success in the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies in 2015. Morocco has also actively advocated on behalf of the least developed nations in international climate change mitigation negotiations. 

India Leads Asia In Climate Protection

Despite being the world's second most populated country, India seems to be making great strides in fighting off climate change as evident by the country's ranking at the 9th position on the CCPI 2020 list. With abundant natural resources, India has ample opportunities to develop its renewable energy sector like solar power and hydroelectricity. The country is rapidly developing its renewable energy sector while simultaneously attempting to reduce its dependance on fossil fuels.

A Long Way To Go

Despite all the progress made by countries to mitigate climate change, the goal of holding global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2100 appears difficult to achieve. The UN warns that countries must reduce their cabon emissions by at least 7.6% each year for the next 10 years to make some progress in the right direction.