Germany slips in climate protection rankings as other countries make gains

Record renewable energy growth is driving climate progress in some countries, but Germany and many major emitters are falling behind. Germany has slipped down the climate action ranking for the third consecutive year, with the former green leader now being outperformed by Brazil, Columbia and Romania.

In its worst performance since 2019, the country fell to place 25 and received a "medium" rating overall on the yearly Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), which assesses efforts to curb global warming in 64 countries plus the European Union. Still, "a number of countries have been making good progress for years," said Jan Burck, CCPI lead author in a statement.

Denmark is leading the way across all four categories assessed — energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and national climate policy. A total of 15 states, including Lithuania, Chile, and Morocco, received an overall "high" rating, which is two more than last year.