CAIRO: The recent release of the global climate change index by Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) showed Egypt is ranked number 21, while the Middle East as a whole continues to languish far behind the rest of the world. The report, released by Germanwatch, CAN-Europe, and IndyACT in Durban at the UN climate talks last week in South Africa, showed there was much work needed to push forward climate change strategies in the developed and developing world. The report only ranked 61 countries across the planet, focusing on those nations that have existing climate change legislation in place. Saudi Arabia came in 61st position, highlighting its need to push forward on legislation to combat rising emissions. The CCPI 2012 evaluates and ranks the 58 highest-emitting countries based on both CO2 emissions and climate policies. This year, more than 200 experts from the respective countries have assisted with analysing national policies, Germwatch said. Egypt, however, should not be too disappointed with their ranking, considering other industrial countries, including the United States and Canada were toward the bottom of the list. “This year's Index shows worrying results. The worldwide addiction to coal has not been stopped, but rather increased. 80 percent of the index is influenced by emissions trends and absolute emissions levels”, said Jan Burck, Author of the Index at Germanwatch, in a December 6 press release. Five out of the 10 biggest emitters, namely Iran (60), China (57), Russia (56), Canada (54) and USA (52) were rated with the label ‘very poor' performance. “Among these countries, China is the only one with a good policy rating. Its encouraging development of renewable energies and energy efficiency targets in the 12th Five Year Plan can help China to climb up a few ranks in the future. But most countries cannot lean back either. Instead, we need a ‘coalition of the responsible' for a better climate protection,” added Burck. Last year, at the COP16 in Mexico, Egypt was ranked number 17, which indicates that its efforts to combat climate change has dropped in a one-year period. A likely cause could be the tumultuous year 2011 has been for the country, with an uprising ousting the former government of Hosni Mubarak and a military junta taking power, limiting governmental action. The report also said that Egypt's emissions continue to rise, as Egypt's ranking on carbon emissions dropped from to the lower half of the study. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/9RszP Tags: Carbon, CCPI, Climate Change, COP-17, Emissions, featured Section: Egypt, Environment, Going Green, Latest News
