Climate Change Performance IndexRanking of countries according to climate protection efforts2023 Climate Change Performance IndexThe Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is a scoring system designed by the German environmental and development organisation Germanwatche.V. to enhance transparency in international climate politics.Climate Action TrackerClimate Action Tracker (CAT) is an independent scientific project with the aim of monitoring government action to achieve their reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with regard to international agreements – specifically the globally agreed Paris Agreement aim of "holding warming well below 2°C, and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C". It is tracking climate action in 39 countries and the European Union responsible for over 85% of global emissions.
Paris AgreementThe Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was negotiated by 196 parties at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference near Paris, France. As of January 2026, 194 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are parties to the agreement.
Greenhouse gas emissionsGreenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect which contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) is the main cause of climate change. The largest annual emissions are from China followed by the United States, which has higher emissions per capita. The main producers fueling the emissions globally are large oil and gas companies.
GermanwatchGermanwatch e.V. is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Bonn, Germany. It seeks to influence public policy on trade, the environment, and relations between countries in the industrialized north and underdeveloped south. The organization collates a variety of economic and social data to formulate position papers, often in partnership with other NGOs.
Niklas HöhneNiklas Höhne (born October 1970) is a German scientist in the field of national and international climate policy and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. He is founder of the NewClimate Institute in Cologne, Germany, and professor at Wageningen University. CareerHöhne attended RWTH Aachen University with a one-year scholarship at INSA Lyon and received his Diplom degree in physics in 1997. From 1998 to 2001 he worked as a staff member at the UNFCCC secretariat.
European UnionThe European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. A supranational union with a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated population of just under 452 million as of 2026, its member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around €18.802 trillion in 2025, accounting for approximately one sixth of global economic output.
Nationally determined contributionThe nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are commitments that countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation. These commitments include the necessary policies and measures for achieving the global targets set out in the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement has a long-term temperature goal which is to keep the rise in global surface temperature to well below 2 °C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels.
Climate changeHuman-caused changes to climate on EarthChanges in surface air temperature over the past 50 years. The Arctic has warmed the most, and temperatures on land have generally increased more than sea surface temperatures.Earth's average surface air temperature has increased about 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) since the Industrial Revolution.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations (UN). Its job is to "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) set up the IPCC in 1988. The UN endorsed the creation of the IPCC later that year. It has a secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the WMO.
GermanyCountry in EuropeGermany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south. Its 16 constituent states have a total population of over 83 million, making it the most populous member state of the European Union (EU).
Registered association (Germany)An eingetragener Verein (German: [ˈaɪnɡəˌtʁaːɡənɐ fɛɐˈʔaɪn]; lit. 'registered association'), abbreviated e.V. (German: [ˌeːˈfaʊ] ), is a legal status for a registered voluntary association in Germany. While any group may be called a Verein, registration as eingetragener Verein confers many legal benefits, because it confers the status of a juridical person rather than just a group of individuals. The legal status must be mentioned in the name as well.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.