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Germany ranked best in G8 on climate

Canada was ranked last among the Group of Eight (G8) leading industrialised nations in addressing climate change, while Germany came first in an assessment by the environmental organisation WWF and the German insurance company Allianz, Agence France-Presse reported. Issued ahead of next week’s annual G8 meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, the assessment listed the United Kingdom second, followed by France.

 

It criticised Canada for greenhouse-gas emissions that are surging “far above” the country’s obligations under the current United Nations climate treaty, the Kyoto Protocol. Canada’s mid- to long-term emissions targets were deemed “inadequate”, the assessment said, adding: “A plan to curb emissions was developed last year but has not been implemented. The Kyoto target will stay completely out of reach.”

 

Filling out the list of eight were Italy, ranked fourth, followed by Japan, Russia and the United States. Thanks to the climate policies initiated by president Barack Obama, the United States moved up a notch, from last place in 2008.

Despite their rankings, the report said, the top three countries still are two-thirds short of what they could achieve.  

 

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