Best of a bad lot?

The UK comes out best, and Canada and the US rank even worse than Russia, in an assessment of how and what they are actually doing to limit their climate change impact.

1. UK: Emissions projected to be within Kyoto target, but share of high-carbon-emitting coal is rising in the energy mix. Policy action: Innovative on Climate Change Bill, strong emphasis on carbon markets approach, but does too little to promote renewables and energy efficiency.

2. France: Emissions performance fair to date, but weak on reaching objectives in near future. Policy action: Progressive international positions.

3. Germany: Best on renewables, with regulatory framework seen as international benchmark. Policy action: Has legislated on energy efficiency and climate policies, but failed to take a clear stance against coal power, which looms large in plans of electricity generators.

4. Italy: Emissions well above its Kyoto target. Rates relatively well on energy efficiency. Policy action: Has started some efforts to address climate change, agrees to relevant EU policies, but has implemented very few national measures.

5. Japan: Emissions increasing, far above its Kyoto target, and lacks mid-term reduction targets. Policy action: Active in carbon market, with extensive use of Clean Development Mechanism offset projects in developing countries, but no mandatory domestic emissions trading.

6. Russia: Emissions increasing in last eight years (after dropping in 1990s due to sharp economic contraction). Policy action: Few policies, none implemented. Bright spots: Recent government announcement on increasing energy efficiency dramatically.

7.Canada: Emissions rising, in energy intensive economy. Policy action: Has repudiated Kyoto commitments.

8. US: Emissions rising. Policy action: refused to join Kyoto. Bright spot: Legislation in Congress to cap emissions, state-level initiatives creating cap-and-trade systems, businesses preparing for carbon trading.

The scorecards also analyses policies in, but does not attempt to rank, the emerging economies of Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa.

Commissioned jointly by conservation organisation WWF and financial services provider Allianz, the G8 Climate Scorecard 2008 and its call for 80% cuts by 2050 were predictably but depressingly ignored by the countries’ leaders when they assembled in Hokkaido, Japan, in July for the annual G8 summit. The meeting agreed only to aim for a 50% reduction by 2050, with no concrete commitments or firm interim targets. It even fudged the issue of what baseline would be used to measure any cuts – referring to ‘current levels’ rather than the (generally lower) 1990 levels used for the soon-to-expire Kyoto protocol.

“Reducing carbon emissions is a must, but action is also needed at the adaptation level,” says Allianz Insurance CEO Andrew Torrance, who chairs the industry’s ClimateWise initiative. “Governments around the world must urgently take action to protect people from serious weather events like the flooding in Britain just one year ago which will increase in frequency and severity due to climate change.”

15 October 2008

Roger East