Portugal is in 16th place in the 2022 Climate Change Performance Index. It receives a good rating in terms of climate policies and renewable energy, contrasting with a low rating in the category of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Scandinavian countries are favorites at the top of the ranking of 62 countries, although no country is on the podium as none is considered to have taken the necessary path to keep global warming within the 1.5ºC limit.

Portugal remains in the group of top-ranked countries in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index, moving up a position up to 16th place. Portugal receives a good rating for climate policy and renewable energy, an average rating for energy use and a low rating for the greenhouse gas emission category. Portugal achieves low rankings on current indicators, but lower rankings on trend indicators.

Scandinavian countries lead the way in climate protection, along with Morocco (8th) and the United Kingdom (7th). The best votes – Denmark, Sweden and Norway – occupy positions four to six respectively in the new Climate Change Performance Index 2022, presented by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network (CAN) .

The podium is empty because no country has taken enough steps to achieve a “very high” overall rating; that is, according to the report, no country has taken the necessary path to keep global warming within the 1.5 °C limit.

Familiar experts

With regard to national climate policies, Portugal received an average ranking (12th place). Under the European Union’s climate laws, Portugal must reach zero carbon by 2050. In this regard, the experts for the Climate Change Performance Index take a critical position that carbon neutrality is not being compiled in sectoral policies or targets (eg in agriculture and transport). Specialists and associations also learn concrete deadlines for the elimination of subsidies to gradual fossils – whose end is foreseen by 2030 in the approval of the Climate Law.

However, the so-called per capita (20th place) (excluding forests and land use), as well as the per capita energy use (23rd place), are still increasing, while the share of renewable energy in energy use it has been increasing less (29th place), which leads to rankings in the respective trend indicators (2014-2019).

Assessing a share of renewable electricity as sufficient, while at the same time calling for new policies that prioritize decentralized photovoltaics.

There is still room for improvement in the technological options adopted, as they are not always the most sought after – as is the case with biomass plants. Experts admit that its sustainability continues to improve after the entry into force of the Climate Law (a law providing for a ban on the use of quality wood, biomass from energy crops and residual processed biomass from distant territories for energy production).

In the transport sector, experts note little disincentive to the use of private cars and call for more incentives for public transport.

However, the financial incentives for those purchasing electric cars and bicycles and the fact that families are supported to increase the efficiency of buildings are praised, although the accessibility and quantity of such programs should be increased. They point to successful green fiscal measures in the areas of renewable energy and transport such as energy efficiency policies in the industry sector and new legislation in the forest sector.

In terms of defending positions in international terms, Portugal has a very high score in the specialists’ assessments, which places the country at the forefront in the internationals. Portugal, compared to Spain, is 18 places ahead, and six places above the European Union (as a whole).

What is CCPI Index?

The CCPI (Climate Change Performance Index) is an instrument designed to increase the transparency of international climate performance and policies. The CCPI analyzes and compares climate protection in 62 countries with the highest information (plus the European Union as a whole), which does not represent 92% of the global ones. The current index analyzes how downloaded before the coronavirus crisis and does not report a reduction in supply during that situation.

The CCPI is the responsibility of the German environmental non-governmental organization Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute, published in conjunction with the International Climate Action Network (Climate Action International – CAN International). The aim of the index is to put pressure on countries that, so far, have failed to take ambitious measures to ensure global climate stability. The CCPI index also highlights countries with the best climate practices.

ANP Experts | WWF, Quercus and ZERO contributed to the assessment of Portugal’s national and international climate policies.