Romania ranks 18th in the Climate Change Performance Index 2016 (CCIP 2016) recently launched by Germanwatch and the Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. In the 2015 ranking, Romania was at number 20.

Romania’s ranking is better than in previous years, but this result is mainly registered due to the regress of other countries and the fact that official statistics don’t take into account the underground economy, according to environmental protection organization TERRA Mileniul III.

Romania registers a good performance when it comes to emissions related to deforestation. According to official reports data, Romania is one of the four countries that register the lowest level of greenhouse gasses due to deforestation. However, the phenomenon of illegal deforestation in Romania is much higher than the one presented in official statistics, according to the organization.

At the rest of the index’s indicators, Romania registered unsatisfactory results. These include emissions from industry, road traffic and the residential use of buildings, which place Romania at the middle of the ranking.

In terms of renewable energy, Romania ranks 19th when it comes to the share of renewable energy in total primary energy supply, and 52nd at the development of energy supply from renewable energy sources.

“It is worth noting that our country advances to a leading position in the CCIP ranking, without making great efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In my opinion, there are two explanations for this process: either the other states don’t take actions as much as Romania does, or Romania reports unrealistic data,” said Lavinia Andrei, president of TERRA Mileniul III and a member of CAN Europe.

A total of 58 countries were included in 2016 CCIP. Similar to the previous index, no country has registered enough progress in preventing climate change to occupy the first three positions of the ranking. Denmark (on the fourth place), the UK (fifth), and Sweden (sixth) top the ranking, while Australia, Kazakhstan, and the Saudi Arabia are at the bottom.

The European Commission starts legal action against Romania on environment issues

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com