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South Korea is getting a failing grade in its response to climate change, ranking among the worst countries in the world according to an international environmental organization and a nongovernmental research institute.

In the 2016 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), South Korea ranked fifth from the bottom, among 58 countries being assessed. The index was released on Dec. 8 - amid a conference of countries that are party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, an international alliance of environmental groups, and by Germanwatch, an independent German research institute.

While South Korea is 57th on the list, its actual rank is 54th; researchers left the first three spots empty to reflect the fact that no countries are adequately responding to climate change. This was two spots lower than last year and 23 lower than 2010.

These two organizations draw up the index every year by ranking the 58 countries whose greenhouse gas emissions collectively account for at least 90% of total global emissions. In assigning ranks, 30% of points are given for emissions levels, 30% for recent development of emissions, 20% for climate change policies, 10% for recent development of renewable energy and its share of the primary energy supply, and 10% for efficiency levels and recent developments in efficiency.

This year, South Korea received a failing score of 37.64 points out of 100. In the report, the two organizations say that South Korea “remains one of the ’very poor‘ performers, since CO2 emissions are high and steadily rising.”

The countries that scored lower than South Korea this year were Japan (37.23), Australia (36.56), Kazakhstan (32.97), and Saudi Arabia (21.08). The country regarded as being the best model was Denmark (71.19).

China, which has more emissions than any other country, was three spots higher than last year, rising to 47 - was seven places above South Korea.

By Kim Jeong-su, senior staff writer

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