Germany has posted its worst result yet in the Climate Change Performance Index. The 2027 edition, released by Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye, puts the country 25th, down three places on last year.
The slide looks steeper over the long run. Germany topped the ranking in its 2008 edition and sat fifth roughly two decades ago. Now it earns a “good” rating only for energy use, with emissions, renewables and climate policy all judged “medium”. National climate policy is the weak spot, where Germany falls to 36th. Lead author Jan Burck blames chiefly the economy minister, Katherina Reiche, whose measures lean heavily on more natural gas and, he argues, threaten progress on renewables and electrification.
As in previous years the top three places are left empty, because no country is doing enough to meet the Paris goals. Denmark leads for the sixth year running, followed by Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain and Morocco, all of which, co-author Madlen Peter says, share stable and often legally anchored climate frameworks. Hungary is the biggest climber, jumping 21 places after Péter Magyar replaced Viktor Orbán as prime minister. Iran, the United States and Russia remain near the bottom, joined by first-time entrant Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There is one encouraging signal. Global emissions are expected to fall in 2026 for the first time since the pandemic, according to co-author Niklas Höhne, who credits the rapid growth of renewables, electrification and reduced deforestation, along with weaker oil demand linked to the Iran war. Governments, he warns, must act quickly to turn that dip into lasting cuts.
The index covers 64 countries plus the EU, which together account for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
