Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and China are the countries that have made the most effort to promote renewable energy among the richest nations, according to a report released Monday by the non-governmental organization Climate Group. The publication ranked the G20 members based on their stated goals and progress.
Some countries have made modest progress, such as Australia, India, the United States or Japan, while others score poorly despite significant consumption from renewable energy, such as Canada or Brazil. Russia and Saudi Arabia occupy the last places in the ranking.
The report, published on the occasion of the New York Climate Week held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, takes into account various data, such as the targets for the share of renewable energy in the energy mix, the zero-carbon ambition, but also the total share of renewables in place in 2021 and that installed during the year 2021.
Spain, which received the highest score, was praised for having implemented “one of the most ambitious renewable energy production policies in the European Union,” with a significant increase in production capacity over the past decade.
Renewable energies represent 21% of the total Spanish final consumption in 2020, exceeding its objectives by more than 20% and with a will to reach 43% in 2030 and 97% in 2050, when the country has planned to reach carbon neutrality.
Conversely, Canada and Brazil are considered “laggards” despite having significant hydroelectric capacities, the report insisting on the need to diversify energy sources in the face of the risks of severe droughts in the coming decades.
States must be more proactive in their energy policies, with clear objectives, and put in place financing solutions to encourage private investment, the report stresses.
“With Europe gearing up for a major energy crisis, policymakers regret not starting their transition sooner. They should not make the choice to remain locked into fossil fuels,” Mike Peirce, executive director of the Climate Group, told AFP.
