Low Carbon Economy Index 2012: Progress in 2011

Here we look at the league table for carbon emissions and how countries are doing in reducing their carbon emissions. We have split our analysis into developed economies including the UK, Germany, France and the US and emerging economies such as China.

In the last year, major EU economies top our league table of countries with the highest rate of decarbonisation, with UK, Germany and France all reducing carbon intensity by over 6% in 2010-2011. The irony is that a key reason for lower energy use was the milder winter in the region. Both UK and France also witnessed increased generation in low emissions nuclear power, whereas Germany’s exit from nuclear is reflected on its relatively milder decline in emissions.

Emissions in the United States fell by 1.8% in 2011. A mild winter helped, but the shift from coal towards shale gas in its fuel mix and more efficient vehicles on the road signalled that decarbonisation may continue.

At the bottom of the league table for 2011 is Australia, a region where climate change is projected to cause more frequent and severe extreme weather. The result reflects an anomalous 2010 rather than a structural shift; since 2000, Australia averaged 1.7% reduction in carbon intensity, on par with other developed countries. Carbon intensity grew significantly in 2011 (6.7%), reversing the decarbonisation seen in 2010 (of 10.9%). Heavy rainfall in Australia boosted hydro generation and also disrupted mining operations in Queensland and impacted on the level of coal stocks at power stations. A return to normality in 2011 saw Australia’s carbon intensity increase correspondingly, a large part of this due to the timing of the re-stocking of coal.

In China and India, the reduction in carbon intensity seen in the last decade appears to have stalled. In both countries strong GDP growth was closely coupled with rapid emissions growth, despite commitments at Durban to significantly reduce carbon intensity by 2020 (40-45% for China and 20-25% for India respectively, relative to 2005 levels). Meanwhile Indonesia has managed to hold energy emissions broadly stable as its economy grew, with the resulting energy-related carbon intensity falling by 5.2% in 2011. Emissions from deforestation and land use change, which account for a large proportion of Indonesia’s emissions, grew significantly in the last few years (see economic growth and deforestation section of our business challenges page for more detail).

The Low Carbon Economy Index league table shows all G20 countries and the required annual decarbonisation rate needed between 2012 and 2050.

Country	Change in energy-related emissions 2010-2011	Real GDP growth (PPP) 2010-2011	Carbon intensity (tC02/2011$m) 2010-2011	Change in carbon intensity 2010-2011	Annual average change in carbon intensity 2000-2011	Required annual decarbonisation rate 2012-2050
France	-6.1%	1.7%	153	-7.7%	-2.4%	-4.4%
UK	-6.4%	0.7%	209	-7.0%	-2.8%	-5.2%
Germany	-3.6%	3%	235	-6.4%	-2.2%	-5.2%
Indonesia	0.9%	6.5%	377	-5.2%	-1.0%	-4.9%
EU	-3.6%	1.5%	213	-5.1%	-2.3%	-5.2%
USA	-1.9%	1.7%	374	-3.5%	-2.1%	-5.2%
Italy	-2.5%	0.4%	203	-2.9%	-1.2%	-4.3%
Mexico	1.7%	3.9%	244	-2.1%	-0.2%	-4.6%
South Africa	1.5%	3.1%	781	-1.6%	-1.4%	-5.6%
Russia	2.9%	4.3%	510	-1.6%	-3.9%	-6.0%
Brazil	1.7%	2.7%	197	-1.0%	-0.7%	-4.1%
Argentina	7.9%	8.9%	242	-0.9%	-1.6%	-5.0%
South Korea	2.9%	3.6%	464	-0.7%	-1.0%	-6.5%
Canada	2.0%	2.5%	416	-0.4%	-1.4%	-5.3%
Saudi Arabia	6.7%	6.8%	817	0.0%	-1.9%	-7.0%
India	6.9%	6.9%	377	0.0%	-1.4%	-4.4%
Turkey	8.6%	8.5%	244	0.1%	-0.5%	-5.0%
China	9.4%	9.1%	754	0.2%	-1.4%	-6.1%
Japan	0.1%	-0.7%	281	0.8%	-0.8%	-4.8%
Spain	2.2%	0.7%	211	1.5%	-1.9%	-3.6%
Australia	8.7%	1.8%	415	6.7%	-1.7%	-5.3%
World	3.0%	3.7%	395	-0.7%	-0.8%	-5.1%