Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI): What is it and what does it measure?

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The podium of the 2025 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) ranking is completely empty, with no first, second, or third places assigned. This index, curated by Germanwatch, New Climate Institute and Climate Action Network, in its twentieth edition, allows for a comparison of the efforts of 63 countries in fighting the climate crisis, including the nations of the European Union. These countries represent about 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making them a significant sample for analysis.

Published annually since 2005, the CCPI is an independent tool that monitors the climate performance of 63 countries and the European Union. Its aim is to increase transparency in international climate policy, allowing a comparison of each country's efforts and progress in climate protection. It is important to note that the CCPI exclusively considers production-based emissions, holding each country accountable for emissions generated within its borders, without regard to those linked to consumption. Over half of the indicators used are expressed in relative terms, rather than absolute. This means that even countries with high scores cannot rest on their laurels: results show that even if everyone acted like the best, global efforts would still be insufficient to prevent dangerous climate change.

In 2017, the CCPI methodology was updated to reflect commitments made under the Paris Agreement. Since then, the CCPI considers each country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and evaluates their 2030 targets and compatibility with the 'well below 2°C' global warming limit. The analysis considers four main categories: greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, energy use, and climate policy. Additionally, the four main categories are divided into 14 subcategories that include, for example, renewable energy research and Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES). Data comes from authoritative sources such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), PRIMAP, the FAO, and UNFCCC national inventories. Over 450 industry experts contribute to the evaluation.

To occupy one of the top three positions, a country must take sufficient measures to prevent dangerous climate change. This implies that the country's emissions (including and excluding those from LULUCF) must be aligned with the goal of keeping temperature increases well below 2°C and must set a target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2030 that meets the same criteria. Even Denmark, the leader of the CCPI, does not meet these requirements.

As we have seen, no country excels in all the categories analyzed, and the top three ranking positions are therefore unoccupied. Denmark stands out as the 'best performer', although it does not achieve the top rating (4th place), followed by the Netherlands (5th) and the United Kingdom (6th), the latter showing significant improvements thanks to the transition from coal and the Labour government's policies in London that blocked new fossil fuel extraction licenses. The European Union slips to 17th overall: 16 member states are among the medium to high performers, but Finland loses 11 positions (37th), while Bulgaria remains last among EU countries at 50th.

At the bottom of the ranking, we find South Korea (63rd), Russia (64th), and Saudi Arabia (66th). Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates, among the world's largest gas and oil producers, have a renewable energy production of less than 3%. Finally, 14 G20 countries record insufficient scores, an alarming figure considering that this group accounts for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Although many greenhouse gases are naturally present in the atmosphere, human activities increase their concentration, intensifying global warming. This leads to changes in snow and precipitation patterns, an increase in average temperatures, and a higher frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods.

After the sharp drop of the previous year that saw it fall to 44th place with a loss of 15 positions, in 2024 Italy is in 43rd place, thus showing a stalemate. The main issues for Italy include a slowdown in the reduction of climate-altering emissions, with a position of 38th in this specific ranking, and a national climate policy considered inadequate, ranking 55th. The lack of an ambitious National Energy and Climate Plan (PIENC) contributes to keeping the country away from the top of the ranking, which starts from fourth place. The ranking was presented in Baku during COP29.

Despite 61% of countries having increased the use of renewable energies over the past five years, the phenomenon remains uneven, with large geographical areas completely excluded from the energy transition. This disparity highlights how urgent it is to accelerate with concrete actions necessary to improve our impact on the climate and biodiversity. In this context, the environmental platform XNatura is positioned, allowing companies, municipalities, and natural parks to monitor their impacts and dependencies on nature, biodiversity, and climate, with the aim of defining tailor-made climate and biodiversity strategies, in line with major international reporting standards.