Taipei: Taiwan is once again contesting an international climate ranking that placed it as a "very low" performer on climate change, asserting that its consistent reduction in carbon emissions over the past three years is evidence of effective policies.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), released on Tuesday, positioned Taiwan 59th out of 67, a slight improvement from its 60th and 61st rankings in the previous two years. In the four main categories evaluated for each economy's overall score, Taiwan was rated "very low" for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use, and "low" for renewable energy and climate policy.
Taiwan's Ministry of Environment's Climate Change Administration has repeatedly disputed the report's findings, citing the index's "controversial" methodology. Officials pointed out that Japan and Canada have also raised concerns about the rankings at this year's CCPI press event. The ministry criticized the CCPI's reliance on per-capita emissions, arguing that assessments should consider total emissions and overarching trends, as recommended by the United Nations' Emissions Gap Report 2025.
The report listed Taiwan's per-capita emissions at 10.92 tons of carbon equivalent per person. This figure is lower than South Korea's 12.85 tCO2e, Canada's 16.69 tCO2e, and the U.S.'s 15.23 tCO2e, but higher than Thailand's 3.84 tCO2e and Malaysia's 4.07 tCO2e. The ministry highlighted Taiwan's progress in reducing carbon emissions, referencing the 2025 Global Carbon Budget, which estimated a 2.1 percent drop in emissions from 2024, positioning Taiwan among 35 countries decreasing emissions while growing economically.
Furthermore, the European Commission's Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research indicated a 9.6 percent reduction in Taiwan's emissions since 2005, contrasting with a 30 percent global increase. Taiwan, alongside Japan, which saw a 23.5 percent decrease, were the only major Asian nations with declining carbon emissions trends.
Germanwatch, one of the CCPI's publishers, explained that the preference for per capita emissions metrics stems from the urgency to globally reduce emissions to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as per the Paris Agreement of 2015. The report criticized Taiwan's increased reliance on liquefied natural gas (LNG), citing a lack of legislation and strategic planning for coal phase-out and fossil fuel reduction.
Statistics reveal that after closing its last nuclear reactor in mid-2025, Taiwan's electricity production from fossil fuels rose to 85.5 percent in the first nine months of 2025, compared to 83 percent in the same period of 2024. LNG accounted for 47.1 percent, up from 41.5 percent, while coal decreased to 36.8 percent from 40.1 percent. Renewable energy sources provided 12 percent of Taiwan's power, up from 10.8 percent previously.
Taiwan's government, in its 2016 nuclear phase-out plan, aimed for renewables to constitute 20 percent of its energy by 2025. However, progress has been slow, with renewables still accounting for only 12 percent. East Asian countries generally scored poorly in the index, with China, Japan, and South Korea also ranking low. The United States dropped to 65th, while major oil producers UAE, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia occupied the bottom positions.
The CCPI evaluates climate mitigation performance based on GHG emissions, renewable energy, energy use, and climate policy, with input from 450 national experts assessing countries' recent climate policies.