MENA is falling short of its Paris Agreement goals, according to the 2024 ClimateChange Performance Index (CCPI) (pdf) prepared by climate policy NGOs Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and Climate Action Network (CAN). Arab countries, especially oil producers, were amongst the worst performing in the index, which gave the 67 countries that make up 92% of the world’s emissions a score based on how they are faring today compared to where they should be in order to meet the benchmarks of global climate goals. Each country is assessed against four key criteria: greenhouse gas emissions — which represent 40% of the score — as well as renewable energy, energy use, and climate policy, which are weighted at 20% of the overall score each.

The 67 countries were placed in five categories according to their rating: A ranking of 1st to 3rd place is categorized as a “very high” rating, while a ranking from 4 to 16 received a “high” rating”, 17 to 32 a “medium” rating, 33 to 53 a “low” rating, and finally 54 to 67 a “very low” rating.

There were some regional differences in performance: Saudi Arabia had the worst ranking in the region standing at and last place in the index, thus falling in the “very low” rating category. The UAE, Algeria, and Turkey were also in the “very low” group, standing at 65th, 54th, and 56th place, respectively. Egypt came in 22nd and received a “medium” rating. Morocco outperformed in the ranking, achieving a 9th place position, falling in the “high” rated group.

Morocco has some work to do in reducing energy use and improving climate policy: Morocco — considered a high performing country — scored well on the first two categories — greenhouse gas emissions and renewables — but only average on the latter two — energy use and climate policy. The country still consumes and imports a lot of fossil fuels but is growing their renewable energy shares at the same time. However, energy prices are high and users of solar energy are excluded from the power grid.

While Egypt should focus on renewables: Egypt received a low score on policy and renewables despite having a low global emissions share, environmental expert and former consultant to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Samir Mowafi told Nature Asia. The country fell two places this year but still finds itself in the medium-performing range.

Turkey dropped in the ranks: Turkey went down nine places this year compared to 2023, performing poorly in terms of emissions and energy use, and even worse in policy. Turkey still relies heavily on fossil fuels for energy and consequently subsidizes them with no policy in place to phase them out. The country’s energy inefficiency prevents reduction of consumption and while the share of renewables has increased slightly, it still must triple to meet the 1.5°C goal, the report explained.

UAE needs to improve on all fronts: At 65th, the UAE is one of the worst performing countries due to a very low score in all categories except for policy which it only achieved a medium score on. The country is one of the biggest polluters in the world and still explores oil and gas projects while upholding insufficient climate goals. Meanwhile, the UAE is developing big solar projects, but the share of renewables is still inadequate at under 1%.

And so does its oil producing neighbor: Saudi Arabia was ranked the worst on the list, dropping five spots to 67th place with a low score across all categories. The kingdom’s emissions are on the rise while shares of renewables are almost non-existent with low targets despite recent efforts to promote renewable energy projects. Saudi Arabia consumes a lot of energy but has set a carbon neutrality goal for 2050 and needs reevaluate their performance across the categories to get closer to the 1.5°C limit.

Arab countries weren’t the only ones off track: None of the countries analyzed were strong enough in all categories to achieve an overall “very high” rating, meaning the top three spots of the index were not occupied. Denmark took 4th place, followed by Estonia, the Philippines, India, the Netherlands, Morocco, and Sweden, but they all still lagged behind the Paris Agreement’s standards.

Still, the EU fared better than MENA: The EU’s results were considered “medium” across all categories. The bloc implemented Fit For 55 which entails upgrading its climate and energy measures through policy to achieve 55% net reductions and is set to surpass that goal to 57% reduction. Despite being successful in meeting their targets, the CCPI classified the package’s ambitions as inadequate seeing as it will still set the EU behind the 1.5°C target. The NGOs call on the EU to set more ambitious goals and point out their “historical responsibility, global equity principles, and the region‘s capacity to act,” the report said.

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