Urgent

The report, published and written by Professor Yvonne Rydin, co-director of the University College London's Environment Institute, is based on data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

According to the Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index, Norway is ranked first amongst the 34 countries for the second year in a row.

"This is an urgent responsibility for those building new developments as well as those owning, managing and occupying existing ones,” Professor Rydin told Edie.net (Environmental Data Interactive Exchange) when talking about the importance of lowering carbon emissions.

Reduction

The index measures the efficiency of energy consumption in residential and commercial properties, domestic transport, the commercial and public services sectors, as well as the renewable energy resource within the total primary energy supply (TPES).

Norway is the country with the highest amount of power derived from renewable energy, with 47 percent TPES, followed by Brazil (44%) and New Zealand (32%).

"It is vitally important all those involved with the built environment take action to reduce carbon emissions,” Prof. Rydin said.

The Slovak Republic, France, Germany and the US are among the countries with significant improvement from last year’s index,. Canada, Luxembourg, and Russia lag behind.

Improved access                                                                         

World leaders acknowledge that carbon emissions are a crucial matter. On Monday, energy ministers from the world’s top economies met at a conference organized by US Energy Minister Stephen Chu in Washington DC, to discuss how to better implement clean energy and deploy Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) globally.

Norway’s Minister of petroleum and energy, Terje Riis-Johansen, was also present. He welcomed the US initiative.

“Increased access to clean energy is needed to address climate change. It is therefore important that energy ministers come together to establish global partnerships to increase production and improve the supply of clean energy,” he said in a press statement.