Denmark, Netherlands and UK: Which European countries are leading for their climate performance?

Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK have taken the lead in an annual climate performance ranking released at COP29 today.

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) assesses 63 countries plus the European Union, collectively responsible for 90 per cent of global emissions. The ranking from Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and CAN International looks at progress made by the biggest emitters on emissions, renewables and climate policy.

The index’s authors say that no country’s policies earned the first three spots on the podium. Denmark was the top-ranked country in fourth place as the only nation to achieve a high-performance rating for its climate policy.

It is followed by the Netherlands in fifth - though the CCPI authors note that the country’s new government does not bode well for climate policy.

A rising star of this year’s ranking is the UK in sixth place. It was the index’s biggest climate following a coal phase-out and a government pledge against new licenses for fossil fuel projects.

The CCPI shows that renewable energy is making rapid progress in almost every high-emitting country. However, too many countries are still clinging to prolonging the fossil fuels business model, especially for gas.

The world’s biggest emitters, China and the US, ranked very low. Among G20 nations - which account for 75 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions - only the UK and India were high performers.

“One glaring story that is coming out of the CCPI is that progressive targets, coupled with policies, really are the foundation on which countries can transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” Janet Milongo, senior manager for energy transition at Climate Action Network International told a press conference at C