Every year, the NGO German Watch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network publish a climate ranking of the 64 nations which, together, are responsible for more than 90% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. It analyzes the performance of each in its fight against climate change by observing the evolution of its practices in four areas. The level of greenhouse gas emissions accounts for 40% of the grade, the development of renewable energies, energy consumption and climate policy each account for 20% of the final grade.
The publication of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2025 shows that Switzerland falls 12 places, going from 21st to 33rd and comes out with an “average” overall rating. Regarding its greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, its results are considered average. But it is doing significantly less well in the development of renewable energies and, above all, because of the inadequacy of its climate policy, two sectors classified as “weak” (low). On this last point, Switzerland ranks only 48th out of 64.
“This ranking highlights the problems of the Confederation in terms of climate policy, in particular the refusal to apply the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Elders for the Swiss Climate,” reacted the WWF and Greenpeace. “While other countries and the entire European Union have effectively increased their ambitions since 2015, Switzerland’s strategy has remained unchanged over the past nine years, with too low a target for 2030.”
“In the development of the climate law and the law on CO2the Federal Council is content to touch on the minimum necessary and therefore respects neither the popular will nor international commitments. With this incomprehensible avoidance strategy, Switzerland is missing an important opportunity and is losing more and more ground internationally,” says Patrick Hofstetter, energy and climate protection expert for WWF Switzerland.
This ranking has the particularity of showing a void in the first three places, with no country meeting sufficient conditions to get on the podium. Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom occupy the top positions, while the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran are at the bottom of the pack.
