Belgium has slipped one place to 38th in the 2027 Climate Change Performance Index, an annual ranking published during the UN climate conference.
The index, produced each year since 2005 by German NGOs Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute, assesses the climate performance of 64 countries and the European Union.
Together, those countries account for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The ranking is based on around 15 indicators across four areas: greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate policy.
The assessment draws on the analysis of about 500 energy and climate experts, many of whom are members of environmental groups linked to the Climate Action Network.
Published this year during COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, the latest edition gives Belgium an overall rating of “low,” based on analysis by several NGO experts, including a specialist from the environmental organisation Bond Beter Leefmilieu.
Belgium’s efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption were rated “medium.” Its performance on renewable energy and climate policy was rated “low.”
As in previous years, the top three places in the index were left empty because no country was judged to have a sufficiently ambitious climate policy.
Denmark, ranked fourth, was once again the highest-performing country in the table, holding that position for the sixth consecutive year.
At the bottom of the ranking were the United States, in 67th place after dropping two positions, and Iran, in 68th, also down two places.
