Energy Efficiency Rankings
In an unsurprising ranking by International Energy Efficiency Scorecard developed by ACEEE, US and Canada have bottom ranks in Energy Efficiency along with other climate change skeptics like Russia and Australia. The Europeans led by UK, Germany along with Japan get high rankings in Energy Efficiency. Note Canada has been amongst the worst offenders in climate change completely abrogating its responsibility to meet greenhouse warming targets. The leaders of the top 12 developed economies which contribute more than 60% of the GHG emissions have conveniently used the excuse of the economic crisis to stop making efforts towards climate change.
While Europe led by countries like Germany have made massive contributions like increasing the use of renewable energy, USA has done nothing so far except make a few noises during the last Presidential elections. Now the current regime under Obama has stopped making those small noises as well concentrating its efforts on keeping interest rates zero.
Climate Concerns in USA
USA has been one of the worst countries in the world in regards to climate change and global warming issues. While countries have pledged to cut down their emissions from 1990 under the Kyoto Protocol, USA has not only increased its GHG Emissions by 80% from 1990 but also failed to announce any target for 2020. President Obama except for some Loan Guarantees and Funding has miserably failed to push for a climate change and energy legislation. Now with the Republicans leading the House of Representatives, there is no hope for any Global Warming from the second largest emitter of Carbon Dioxide. The Environmental Protection Agency which had been formulating rules to regulate the emission of Carbon Gases from utilities and oil refineries has been now stopped in the blocks by the US Congress.
The Anglo Saxon countries have been notorious for their lack of responsibility in regards to Climate Change. Canada, Australia, USA and UK have been the worst in this regard. Russia too has been extremely bad in the Climate Change fight but its not a surprise given that most of the elite there depend on the Fossil Fuel Industry for their power and money. The powerful oil and gas industry has managed to scuttle and block climate change fight globally. The Cancun and Copenhagen Climate Change Meets were abject failures resulting in huge pessimism amongst Green Activists. China and India are trying to do their bit but they are still trying to move millions from poverty to a respectable existence so their resources are limited. Rich countries like Saudi Arabia are the worst offenders blocking island nations request for a climate change study instead of asking for money to replace their trillion dollar oil revenues. Climate Change has already arrived though it can’t be proved given the complexity of Climate Change. The US Congress Law, passed a year ago was another nail in the coffin of Mankind’s Fight for Climate Change.
The United Kingdom comes in first in a new energy efficiency ranking of the world’s major economies, followed closely by Germany, Italy, and Japan, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published today by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report finds that in the last decade the U.S. has made “limited or little progress toward greater efficiency at the national level,” putting it in 9th place out of 12 economies around the globe.
The rankings are modeled on ACEEE’s time-tested approach to energy efficiency ranking of U.S. states, and include 12 of the world’s largest economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. These 12 economies represent over 78 percent of global gross domestic product; 63 percent of global energy consumption; and 62 percent of the global carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions.
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