CCPI: Russia has lost four positions in the ranking of the effectiveness of combating climate change
The German environmental organization Germanwatch has presented the Index of the effectiveness of combating climate change ( Climate Change Performance Index, CCPI) for 2021, which assessed the efforts of countries to prevent global warming. Compared to the results of 2020, Russia became worse in coping with the disaster and dropped to 56th place, having lost four positions. The research results are published on the association's website.
The index of the effectiveness of measures to resist global warming in the country reached 35 – analysts recognized this figure as very low. To get it, the researchers assessed the performance of 64 states on four aspects: the level of greenhouse gas emissions, climate policy, the development of renewable energy and energy consumption. In all categories except the last, Russia was in the last ten.
Worst of all, according to environmentalists, the country is given the transition to renewable energy and the development of an effective climate strategy. Experts noted that Russia is developing solar and wind projects, but not enough – according to 2019 data, only 2.7 percent of total energy consumption was from “clean” sources. In addition, the Russian government is offering gas, which also has a significant carbon footprint, as a substitute for coal, which is harmful to the planet.
Analysts called the climate policy presented by Russia “clearly insufficient” to prevent a global catastrophe. They don't expect positive changes in the near future. The researchers said the national target to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030 is incompatible with the Paris Agreement – it would eliminate 50 percent of emissions by that date.
The period of Russia's achievement of carbon neutrality (full offsetting of carbon dioxide emissions) is also not in line with global commitments – the country has planned to stop polluting the planet with greenhouse gases by 2060 instead of the one specified in the 2050 treaty.
A leader in the fight against global warming, according to Germanwatch, it became Denmark with an index of 76.9. It is followed by Sweden (74.5) and Norway (73.6). However, these states occupy from the third to the fifth lines of the rating – the environmentalists traditionally left the first three positions empty, since they are sure that no country fully complies with the requirements of the Paris Agreement to curb global warming below two degrees Celsius. The last three places in the list went to Iran (26.4), Saudi Arabia (24.5) and Kazakhstan (19.8).
Earlier, British scientists predicted that with insufficient efforts of world governments in the fight against the disaster 15 times more people will suffer from its consequences than recorded in recent years. Experts have warned that half of the world's population will die if the rise in global temperatures exceeds four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.