The Countries Doing the Most for Climate Change

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In an effort to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, more than 150 countries have net-zero emissions targets. While some of the world’s largest economies have committed to reducing emissions, mitigation and adaptation strategies vary from country to country, making the degree of ambition difficult to compare.

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In a recent paper published in Nature Scientific Data, however, researchers from Ritsumeikan University normalized greenhouse gas reduction goals across hundreds of countries in agriculture, forestry, and and other land use sectors. The resulting National Land-based Climate Mitigation Scenarios Dataset reveals striking differences in greenhouse gas reduction targets around the world, and shows which countries are preparing for the largest reductions in emissions relative to current levels. While major countries like China make the list, the most ambitious countries are mostly small island nations. A closer look at the data reveals the countries with the most ambitious climate goals.

To determine the countries with the most ambitious climate goals, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data from the National Land-based Climate Mitigation Scenarios Dataset from Nature Scientific Data. Counties were ranked based on the percentage change in GHG emissions target for 2050 from the 2020 baseline. Population data are from the World Bank.

25. Slovenia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 2.7 million metric tons (-16.9% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 3.1 million metric tons
Total population: 2.1 million

24. Ukraine

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 33.8 million metric tons (-16.9% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 45.3 million metric tons
Total population: 37.7 million

23. Russia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 106.7 million metric tons (-17.1% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 136.8 million metric tons
Total population: 143.8 million

22. Botswana

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 10.7 million metric tons (-19.3% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 14.2 million metric tons
Total population: 2.5 million

21. Bolivia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 53.3 million metric tons (-19.6% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 77.2 million metric tons
Total population: 12.2 million

20. Peru

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 72.8 million metric tons (-19.8% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 107.1 million metric tons
Total population: 33.8 million

19. Myanmar

*Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash*

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 80.8 million metric tons (-20.5% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 128.5 million metric tons
Total population: 54.1 million

18. Belize

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 1.4 million metric tons (-22.1% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 2.2 million metric tons
Total population: 411,106

17. Cambodia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 21.1 million metric tons (-24.2% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 36.3 million metric tons
Total population: 17.4 million

16. The Bahamas

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 537,675 metric tons (-26.4% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 910,406 metric tons
Total population: 399,440

15. Laos

*Photo by Teodor Kuduschiev on Unsplash*

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 11.3 million metric tons (-27.0% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 19.1 million metric tons
Total population: 7.7 million

14. Turkey

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 81.5 million metric tons (-28.0% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 128.0 million metric tons
Total population: 85.3 million

13. Sweden

*Photo by Peter van der Meulen on Unsplash*

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 12.0 million metric tons (-28.0% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 15.4 million metric tons
Total population: 10.5 million

12. Guyana

*Photo by Dinesh Chandrapal on Unsplash*

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 11.2 million metric tons (-29.3% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 20.3 million metric tons
Total population: 826,353

11. Latvia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 3.5 million metric tons (-29.8% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 4.5 million metric tons
Total population: 1.9 million

10. Indonesia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 128.7 million metric tons (-30.2% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 252.7 million metric tons
Total population: 281.2 million

9. Suriname

*Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash*

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 8.6 million metric tons (-30.6% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 16.1 million metric tons
Total population: 628,886

8. Estonia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 2.4 million metric tons (-31.0% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 3.1 million metric tons
Total population: 1.4 million

7. Finland

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 8.3 million metric tons (-31.3% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 10.9 million metric tons
Total population: 5.6 million

6. Timor-Leste

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 897,622 metric tons (-31.8% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 1.7 million metric tons
Total population: 1.4 million

5. China

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 500.0 million metric tons (-35.1% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 1.1 billion metric tons
Total population: 1.4 billion

4. Bhutan

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 2.5 million metric tons (-38.8% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 4.5 million metric tons
Total population: 786,385

3. Malaysia

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 12.1 million metric tons (-44.0% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 31.7 million metric tons
Total population: 35.1 million

2. Brunei Darussalam

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 363,419 metric tons (-61.8% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 1.2 million metric tons
Total population: 458,949

1. Papua New Guinea

Total GHG emissions target, 2050: 15.8 million metric tons (-74.2% decline from 2020)
Baseline GHG emissions, 2020: 94.0 million metric tons
Total population: 10.4 million