Released at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) assesses the performance of climate policies in 63 countries, plus the European Union as a whole, responsible for 90% of global emissions.

The index is published by the non-governmental organisations Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute, with the participation of the Portuguese environmental association Zero in its elaboration.

In this year's analysis, Portugal rises from 15th to 12th position, which in practice corresponds to 9th, because the authors leave the first three places vacant, considering that no country is fully aligned with the Paris Agreement's objective of keeping global warming below 1.5ºC.

Among the four criteria evaluated, Portugal obtains a high rating in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and an average rating in Energy Use, Renewable Energy, and Climate Policy.

The authors note that Portugal aims to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 2005, and that the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC), finalized in 2024, sets the target of carbon neutrality for 2045 instead of 2050.

“Ambitious”

These targets are “relatively ambitious in relation to the country's capacity and compared to other EU Member States, but are not yet aligned with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement,” reads the index pages relating to Portugal.

National experts report an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but warn of a consistent increase in emissions in the transport sector, namely a 7% growth in 2023 compared to the previous year.

In 2022, transport was the sector with the largest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, at 29%, followed by industry (24%) and energy (14%).

“As in previous years, experts are calling on Portugal to increase its efforts in the transport sector because emission trends compromise the achievement of national targets,” say the experts, who emphasize the insufficient use of public transport and the high dependence on automobiles in cities.

In their general conclusions, the authors of the index acknowledge that, ten years after the Paris Agreement, the global tipping point may be within reach, considering “the unprecedented expansion of renewable energies,” the halving of annual growth rates of greenhouse gas emissions, and the recent stabilization of per capita emissions.

Disparities

However, they warn of the large disparities that persist, with countries having emissions well above the global average.

According to experts, positive changes recorded in the Netherlands, India, and the United Kingdom show that change can happen faster than expected "when coherent policies, innovation, and social commitments align."

At the top of the index is Denmark, which remains the highest-ranked country (4th place), followed by the United Kingdom (5th place), which climbed one position and has already completed the elimination of coal, although it still needs to make further progress in renewables; and Morocco (6th place), which shows good results in almost all categories.

The worst performances this year are recorded by Saudi Arabia (67th), Iran (66th), and the USA (65th).