Switzerland now ranks only 22nd in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), dropping seven places. By dropping out of the top 20, it is also no longer considered efficient in the fight against global warming.
Switzerland is not meeting its commitments under the Paris Agreement and is not doing enough to reduce its emissions at home and abroad, according to Georg Klingler, climate and energy expert at Greenpeace Switzerland. The country's plunge in the CCPI climate ranking therefore comes as no surprise to him, as he says: «Switzerland is on a path that will lead to global warming of 3 degrees Celsius. This has serious consequences, because global warming of more than 1.5 degrees already endangers the basic rights of all people in the country.». He adds, «I hope that this is a wake-up call for the Federal Council to quickly step up efforts to protect the climate in all aspects.».
Financial center continues to invest in coal, oil and gas globally
According to Klingler, the Federal Law on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security (indirect counterproposal to the Glacier Initiative) must make it possible to reduce dependence on fossil fuels without delay. He finds the Federal Council's logic of whitewashing climate protection efforts in Switzerland with measures implemented abroad particularly shocking: «Switzerland has already emitted a great deal of greenhouse gases in the past. Our country has very high per capita emissions due to our consumption habits, and our financial center continues to invest globally in coal, oil and gas. We must therefore clearly ensure that emissions abroad are reduced,» Klingler demands. But these reductions should in no way replace the measures needed in Switzerland. The current policy is nothing more than greenwashing.
The top ranks in the CCPI 2023 are Denmark, Sweden and Chile
The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), published by the environmental organization Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network, evaluates the climate protection efforts of 59 countries and the entire European Union. They are all among the largest emitters worldwide. A current ranking is presented each year at the time of the UN Climate Change Conference. This year, Denmark, Sweden and Chile occupy the top ranks 4, 5 and 6. The first three places are not awarded because none of the countries considered is making the necessary efforts to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees.
