Ireland ranks 46 out of 64 in climate performance index

Ireland has once again been ranked as “low performing” in addressing the climate crisis by the 2021 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

The CCPI analyses and compares climate actions and policies across 60 countries, as well as the EU as a whole, which account for 90 percent of global emissions. It is regarded as the most reliable indicator of countries’ response to climate disruption, and has been published annually since 2005. It also plays a leading role in setting out progress on implementing the Paris Agreement.

Ireland ranks 46th in this year’s CCPI listings which were published at COP26. This represents a decline of 7 places from 2020, where Ireland ranked 39^th. The UK, by comparison, was ranked 7^th, down 2 places from 2020. No country did well enough to receive a "very high" rating, so as with previous years, the top three places in the index remain vacant. Even Denmark, the highest ranked country in CCPI 2022, did not perform well enough to achieve an overall very high rating. Saudi Arabia is the worst-performing country among the G20, ranked 63rd, followed only by Kazakhstan.

In the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions category, Ireland remains among the "very low" performers. Ireland also received a low rating in the national climate policy category, despite scaling up ambitions and adopting more demanding emission targets, encapsulated in the new Climate Act passed by the Government this year. While CCPI experts “acknowledge the progress being made with the new Climate Act and other positive commitments” it recognised that the new policies that have been developed have not yet been fully adopted and implemented.

Ireland did receive a high rating in the renewable energy category – which relates mainly to using renewable energy in power generation – but only a medium rating in energy use, which relates to energy efficiency.

Risks highlighted by the report include implementation of the Climate Act across Government, the risk of fossil gas lock-in from increasing demand due to projected data centre development, and the potential for lower action in the agriculture sector to result in increasing pressure on the rest of society.

Among the recommendations of the report were:

• broad and systematic dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and communities
• climate action plans must align with the Paris Agreement so that Ireland reaches net-zero emissions before 2050
• a phase-out plan for fossil fuel subsidies
• implementation and transition of Ireland’s climate goals across all relevant sectors
• increased engagement in initiatives (such as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance), climate finance, and for the country to follow an ambitious carbon target aligned with the Paris Agreement.