Malta drops to 34th place in Climate Performance Index

Malta has fallen five spots to rank 34th in the 2025 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), continuing a downward trend from 18th place in 2023 and 29th in 2024. 

The country maintains a medium performance overall, with high ratings in energy use, moderate ratings in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, low ratings in climate policy, and very low ratings in renewable energy. 

The CCPI, which evaluates the climate performance of 67 countries including all EU member states – accounting for over 90% of global GHG emissions – uses a standardised framework to assess performance in GHG emissions, renewables, energy use, and climate policy.  

According to the report Malta ranked 44th  in terms of renewable energy and 34th  in climate policy but was ranked 16th with regards to energy use. 

Weak implementation of climate policies 

Despite the 2015 Climate Action Act, which made climate protection legally binding, Malta has faced criticism for its insufficient efforts to reduce GHG emissions and weak implementation of climate policies. In 2024, the establishment of the Climate Action Authority marked a step toward better coordination and oversight of climate change policies, but the CCPI experts noted limited tangible progress. 

Energy subsidies 

The CCPI report notes that Malta’s 2025 budget includes continued subsidies, including those for energy, aimed at shielding citizens from fuel poverty. While experts commend these efforts, they argue that the subsidies inadvertently encourage high energy consumption and waste. The country also remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, as evidenced by the government’s 2024 purchase of a diesel-powered plant to address potential electricity shortfalls. 

Progress in renewable energy remains sluggish. Solar energy use has increased, but offshore wind energy projects remain stuck in the planning stage despite being discussed since the late 1990s. While noting that in October 2024, the government launched a National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy, no tangible results have been achieved so far. 

Transport sector lagging 

Malta’s transport sector also drew criticism, with automobiles dominating despite the introduction of free public transport in October 2022. Bicycle lanes remain scarce, and automobile usage has not declined significantly. However, subsidies for electric vehicles have led to a noticeable increase in their adoption. 

The  experts  consulted in the CCPI report who accepted to be mentioned included Luciano Mule’ Stagno (Institute for Sustainable Energy), Dr Suzanne Maas (Friends of the Earth Malta), and Dr John Paul Cauchi (Queen Mary University of London).