With Rio 20+, the latest United Nations organized Earth Summit, less than a week away, the Natural Resources Defense Council has released a scorecard ranking the G20 nations and their commitment to clean energy development.
It comes as no surprise that G20 countries lead the world in renewable energy investment. Since 2004, investment in clean energy from G20 countries has grown by nearly 600%, while electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, and wave power has tripled.
Nevertheless, the NRDC says an even greater commitment to clean energy is required, given that clean energy currently only accounts for 2.6% of the G20's electricity production. This number is expected to increase to 6% by 2020 -- which is not nearly enough to meet the demands of climate scientists. The NRDC recommends G20 nations seize the opportunity of Rio 20+ to enhance their commitment to clean energy.
Here is a list of the G20's top 10 producers of clean energy in 2011 -- in terms of total percentage of renewable energy in the nation's electricity generation mix.
- Germany -- 10.7%
- European Union (as a whole) -- 6.7%
- Italy -- 6.2%
- Indonesia -- 5.7%
- United Kingdom -- 4.2%
- France -- 2.8%
- United States -- 2.7%
- Mexico -- 2.6%
- India -- 2.4%
- Australia -- 2.0%
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.
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