The recently released Climate Change Performance Index 2023 makes for sober reading on how we, as Australians, are doing in terms of activating climate change practices compared to other countries in the world.

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is an instrument to enable transparency in national and international climate politics. The CCPI uses a standardized framework to compare the climate performance of 59 countries and the EU, which together account for 92% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The climate protection performance is assessed in four categories: GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use and Climate Policy.

In Australia, we have improved our position, which is not difficult seeing we were dead last, and have climbed four places to rank 55th out of 63 in this year’s global Climate Change Performance Index 2023, launched at COP27 in Egypt (November 6 to 18).

“Australia has gone from dead last to far from a pass, and despite the nation's recent progress, there is no escaping just how far behind we are and how much catching up we’ve got to do,” Climate Councillor and economist Nicki Hutley, who’s in Egypt at COP27 said.

Australia has gone from 59th to 55th place in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), which has been published annually for almost two decades by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network International. The index assesses 59 countries and the European Union, which are collectively responsible for more than 90 percent of global emissions.

While the Australian Government has put in place important new policies and initiatives for transforming our energy system, it is early days, and Australia is still lagging for a few important reasons: 

• Australia’s new 2030 emissions reduction target remains one of the weakest in the developed world.
• We are yet to start phasing out coal and gas production, or even stop publicly funding it. 
• Australia is falling well short of our fair share of international climate finance, which is a key focus at COP27. 

“Good climate policy is good economic policy,” Ms Hutley added. 

“We know the costs of inaction are skyrocketing, and we know that making the most of Australia’s vast, untapped renewable energy potential is the path to Australia’s future economic prosperity, just as it is essential to protecting vulnerable communities in Australia, the Pacific and beyond.”

“While Australia remains in the very low performing countries, the index as a whole also reveals just how far the world at large needs to step up if we’re to avoid catastrophic levels of warming.”

At a global level the index found: 

• Denmark, Sweden, Chile, Morocco and India led this year’s ranking. 
• Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan came in last. 
• No country was ranked first, second or third in the Index, as no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change.
• The United States and China, the world’s biggest emitters, performed ‘very low’ — though the United States rose three ranks compared with last year, whilst China dropped 13 ranks.