What is Climate
and Energy?
The burning of carbon-based fuels for energy has greatly increased
concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse
gases. The accumulation of these gases in the atmosphere is changing the
Earth’s climate and is dangerously affecting human health and ecosystems.
Three indicators in the EPI measure countries’ abilities to reduce
carbon intensity.
What generates CO2?
CO2 is the predominant greenhouse gas. While
emissions have a variety of natural sources, the steep
increase since the Industrial Revolution is the result
of human activity.
Electricity
Industry
Land-Use
Change
1
4%
ioxide Emissio
D
n
o
ns
b
r
a
C
l
a
t
o
ssil Fuel U
1% 8%
N
F-gases O itrou
xide s
Transportation
se
ne
tha
Me
o
O2 F
C
%
57
3%
Other
Carbon Dioxide Concentration
Although fluctuations in concentration of atmospheric
CO2 occur naturally between glacial cycles, the
present levels appear to be the highest in the last
800,000 years.
17
%
CO
De
₂
f
o
r
est Bio
m
a
t
ion
Global Greenhouse
Gas Emissions
,e
s
as tc.=
CURRENT
T
HIGHEST HISTORICAL CO2 LEVEL
parts per million (ppm)
1950
350
200
250
300
0
50
100
150
thousands of years past
Earth’s Carbon Cycle
CO2 is naturally present in the atmosphere, contributing to the circulation of carbon between organisms, the
atmosphere, oceans, and soils. Adding carbon is not the only way human activities have altered this carbon cycle. The
destruction of carbon sinks – like forests and wetlands – have diminished the ability of natural systems to remove carbon
from the atmosphere.
atmosphere
burning of
fossil fuels
photosynthesis
respiration
air-sea gas
exchange
destruction of
natural sinks
soils
How do we know?
Whereas other indicator scores reflect the degree to which a target has been met, there are no
globally agreed-upon targets for CO₂ reductions. Therefore, the EPI Climate and Energy indicators
should not be interpreted as a proximity-to-target, but rather a relative position globally. The EPI
indicators for Climate and Energy are weighted depending on a country’s level of economic
development. Least-developed countries (LDCs) are not scored on emissions indicators, as their
historic contributions of atmospheric CO₂ are insignificant.
raised for
high-income
countries
SCORING
The score for this indicator is
based on three trends: Trend
in Carbon Intensity, Change of
Trend in Carbon Intensity, and
Trend in CO₂ Emissions per kWh.
Weighting
x,
The Trend in Carbon Intensity
and Change of Trend in Carbon
Intensity indicators are weighted
according to a country’s GDP.
Wealthier countries have scores
weighted more on Trend in Carbon
Intensity (x), while scores for
lower-income countries are
weighted more on Change of
Trend in Carbon Intensity (y).
where x+y = 100%
Trend in Carbon Intensity
2000-2010
raised for
lower-income
countries
y,
where x+y = 100%
Change of Trend in Carbon Intensity
2000-2010
Trend in CO₂ emissions per kWh
scores countries based on the change
in the carbon intensity of the
average unit of electricity and heat
produced. A few top performers
are scored solely on their CO₂
emissions per kWh for the year
2010, as they already perform
well enough that there is little
room for additional improvement.
100%
weighted equally
for all countries
CO₂ Emissions per kWh
2000-2010
Current
+
d
te
ons
issi
Em
Emissions
nt
rre
issions
Em
ed
uc
Developed Countries
Cu
Pro
jec
sions
Emis
ed
uc
ed
Re
d
Goa
l fo
rR
ns
ssio
mi
dE
te
Goal fo
r
Pro
jec
Developing Countries
WHY WEIGHT THE INDICATORS?
Climate change is largely the legacy of developed and industrialized countries. These include OECD states in Europe, as well as
the U.S., Japan, Australia, and Canada. Expectations under current climate arrangements, including the Kyoto Protocol, are that
these countries will reduce their emissions to a baseline (i.e., 1990 levels) by a certain target date. We score this group based
on their efforts to reduce emissions.
Developing countries, particularly major emerging economies like China and India, are or will be responsible for the majority of
future emissions. Still, nobody expects these countries to deliberately stop growing. It is vital that they at least slow the rate
at which carbon intensity grows. Our scores for this group emphasize the need for slowed growth in intensity. Countries that
slow their rates of emissions growth are scored better than countries that remain steady or are increasing emissions more
rapidly than at earlier times.
LeastDeveloped
Countries
(LDC)
ACCESS TO ENERGY
For LDCs, emissions are simply not as important as
transitioning people to more sustainable and accessible
forms of energy. No score is given to LDCs for Climate and
Energy. Instead, an indicator showing Access to Electricity
is presented but not calculated in the overall EPI score.
Why does it matter?
Global temperature rise as a result of climate
change has been shown to be correlated with a
number of natural phenomena, including:
Sea-level Rise
Increased Precipitation
Reduced Predictability
of Monsoons
Increased Intensity of
Natural Disasters
Flooding
Shis
in Global Currents
Temperature Extremes
Droughts
References
• “Climate Change,” The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange
• Houser, Trevor. (2010). “Copenhagen, the Accord, and the Way Forward”, Peterson Institute for
International Economics: http://www.iie.com/publications/pb/pb10-05.pdf
• “Overview of Greenhouse Gases”, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
• Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller,
“Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change”, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): http://www.ipcc.ch/
• “What are the Main Sources of Carbon Dioxide Emissions?”, What’s Your Impact (WYI):
http://www.whatsyourimpact.org/co2-sources.php