Results from the 2011 Global Green Economy Index (GGEI) show that expert practitioners in the green economy rank China as the #2 overall national green performer behind Germany while a new index consisting of 37 datasets scoring country performance places New Zealand on top.
Dual Citizen Inc., a Washington-based consultancy, publishes the annual report ranking 27 nations according to their green leadership, domestic policy frameworks, cleantech investment climate and commitment to green tourism.
"Green reputations are a vital component of overall country brands and the Global Green Economy Index provides government and private stakeholders in the green economy a unique tool to track, analyze and improve upon performance in this sector," said Jeremy Tamanini, the founder of Dual Citizen Inc.
The aggregate GGEI results show that the United States and China – the two largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters - are making perceived gains in this sector largely due to the size and economic opportunity of their cleantech markets. However, their overall performance continues to lag behind that of their European counterparts, particularly Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
The leadership index dimension recognizes hosts of the annual Conference of Parties (COP) event as top performers yet experts credit national leadership based more on proven commitments to sustainability through the structure and funding of national ministries and institutions.
Experts generally believe that large economies have the right domestic policies in place to promote renewable energy yet these same nations often fail to register consistent improvements in lowering their GHG emissions and implementing best practice clean energy policies.
Experts view the world's largest economies - including Japan, India and China - as the best targets for cleantech investment but smaller nations with relatively mature cleantech sectors exhibit more robust investment climates according to GGEI data.
For the second year in a row, New Zealand dominates the green tourism dimension, in part due to the strength of the country's national green tourism accreditation scheme, a standard lacking in the majority of the 27 nations covered. Australia and Japan also score well on the green tourism index.
Dual Citizen Inc. provides governments and international organizations with analytic tools and strategic communications consulting to advance policy and economic agendas.