Asia’s major economies are clustered near the bottom of the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), which reports that several countries in the region continue to score low in key climate mitigation categories.
The index ranks China at 54th place, Japan at 57th, Indonesia at 43rd, and South Korea at 63rd. Iran and Saudi Arabia occupy the lowest positions overall at 66th and 67th.
According to the CCPI, these countries received low or very low ratings in greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy development, energy use, and climate policy.
The report notes that global emissions continue to rise, although the pace of increase has slowed since the Paris Agreement.
It also records increases in primary energy use between 2015 and 2023 in several Asian countries, including China at 28.8 percent, India at 22.7 percent, and Vietnam at 50.8 percent.
In the renewable energy category, the CCPI lists Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and China among countries with low or very low ratings.
In climate policy, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are also rated low or very low.
The index states that these assessments reflect current levels of renewable energy deployment, emissions trajectories, and policy implementation.
Trade tensions shape COP30 discussions
The CCPI release coincides with negotiations at COP30 in Belém, where trade-related issues have become prominent in the summit’s discussions.
A draft text issued by the Brazilian presidency places trade as one of the four main bullet points guiding the conference’s outcome document, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
China has called for the removal of trade barriers on green technologies, while several Asian negotiators have expressed concern over tariffs imposed by Western countries on electric vehicles and other clean-energy products.
The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has also drawn responses from developing economies that say the measure could affect their exports.
EU officials told AFP that CBAM is designed as a climate measure aligned with carbon pricing rules, while negotiators from other regions have raised questions about its wider impacts.
According to observers, placing trade on the agenda may influence future talks as countries seek to align climate commitments with evolving trade policies.
