CCPI: Australia goes backwards two places in Climate Change Performance in 2025 report

This year Australia moved backwards two places in the annual Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). The national experts cited the still substantial fossil fuel subsidies and policies to incvrease Fossil Fuel production.

The report lists 3 key outcomes:

• Australia drops two ranks in the current CCPI, to 52nd and among the low-performing countries
• Fossil fuel subsidies have declined and been redirected to other industries. However, some major fossil fuel subsidies remain.
• Key demands: stop approving and signalling support for the expansion of fossil fuel production

The National Experts explained:

Australia dropped to 52nd and among the low-performing countries. It receives a medium rating in GHG Emissions, low in Renewable Energy and Climate Policy, and very low in Energy Use.

Australia’s 2030 national target is to reduce GHG emissions by 43% from 2005 levels. The country plans to achieve net zero by 2050. The CCPI national experts welcome these targets and Australia is now nearly on track to achieve its 2030 emissions reduction target.

The experts further note that since the election of the current government in mid-2022, fossil fuel subsidies have declined and been redirected to other industries.  However, some major fossil fuel subsidies remain, including the Fuel Tax Credit scheme which subsidies the fuel taxes paid by a range of sectors, including fossil fuel mining. Australia is among the 10 countries with the largest developed coal and gas reserves, and is currently planning to increase its production.

CCPI: Australia improves 5 places to the low category in the 2024 Climate Change performance Index

Two years in succession Australia has improved its total ranking in the Climate Change Performance index. In 2022 it jumped 4 places and in 2023 jumped another 5 places. This still places Australia at 50th ranking of 67 countries assessed, in the Low overall rating..

In 2023 CCPI report Australia still ranked very low, but was starting to improve in some categories.

For the 2022 CCPI report Australia was listed way down the bottom on greenhouse gas emissions, renewables, energy use and very last (64th) on climate policy. We ranked 58th overall. Changing to the Labor Government in May 2022 has improved our rankings the last two years and is likely to improve the rating again for 2025. The report makes clear that Stopping new fossil fuel projects and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies as part of phasing out fossil fuels would bring substantial improvement in the rating.

Australia improves Climate Change Performance ranking slightly in CCPI 2023 report

CCPI overall rating for 2023

At the UN Climate Change conference the latest Climate Change performance Index for 2023 was launched.

The good news? Australia has improved its overall ranking by 4 places, mainly due to improvement in international climate policy..

It recognises the new 2030 climate targets while saying the target is still insufficient. The ramping up renewables and EV tansition is still in the early development stages. There is criticism that Australia has no plan to phase out coal and gas, and the Safeguard mechanism is also criticised as being insufficient.

Australia is still in the very low performing countries and is behind many other developed nations.

So what is the decarbonisation path forward for Australia to improve its ranking?

"To align with a well-below-2°C trajectory, Australia must halt gas and coal mining for both domestic use and export, end fossil fuel subsidies, take further action to reduce GHG emissions from transport, and further increase its NDC ambition."

Australia ranked last on climate policy in a global list of 64 countries in the Climate Change Performance Index at COP26

Climate Change Performance Index rating for 2022

Another area where Australia is a true laggard is climate policy. 

The Climate Change Performance Index rated 64 nations on greenhouse gas emissions, renewables, energy use and climate policy. Australia was listed way down the bottom on greenhouse gas emissions, renewables, energy use and very last (64th) on climate policy. 

We ranked 58th overall.

Video: Life at 50C - The families forced to defend their homes from Australian bushfires (BBC)

This short BBC documentary investigates the climate change impacts of extreme heat and bushfires. It articulates climate change is here and now. It will get worse. But there are things we can do to change the direction of global warming.