Climate change
Major economies lag on climate action, new ranking finds
11.11.2026, 15:10
Most of the world's major economies are performing poorly in the fight against climate change, according to an international ranking released during the UN's annual summit in Turkey.
The latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) found that most G20 countries, responsible for more than 80% of global carbon dioxide emissions, were making insufficient progress in tackling global warming.
The United Kingdom was the only G20 member to receive a high rating, ranking seventh overall. At the same time, 10 countries fell into the lowest category, including Turkey and Australia, which are jointly presiding over this year's COP31 climate talks.
The index, compiled annually by Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute, assesses the climate performance of 64 countries and the European Union, together responsible for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Denmark was once again the highest-ranked country, followed by Lithuania and Luxembourg.
However, the top three positions remained vacant because no country was considered to be doing enough to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
China, the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, remained near the bottom of the ranking despite leading in renewable energy trends.
Germany slipped three places to 25th, marking its third consecutive annual decline, with its national climate policies receiving particularly poor marks. The worst-performing EU countries are now Slovakia, Croatia and Poland, ranked 50th to 48th.
The authors highlighted that, in addition to the UK, Portugal, Spain and Morocco also received a "good" rating. According to the report, these countries share reliable legal frameworks for climate action, not only in terms of targets but also in their implementation.
Report author Jan Burck said the rapid expansion of renewable energy, energy storage and electric vehicles offered significant opportunities for climate action despite sluggish political progress.
Burck said political progress on climate action remained sluggish and was even going backwards in countries such as the United States, despite strong technological and economic momentum.