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Sweden again ranks in first position in the current Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI 2008). However, even those at the top of the class - Sweden achieved two thirds of the total score - only achieve average grades. The index is published annually by Germanwatch and CAN-Europe and compares the climate protection performances of 56 industrialised countries and emerging economies which together account for more than 90 per cent of global energy-related CO2 emissions.

The Germanwatch Climate Expedition is targeting students from the age of ten years on all over Germany. More and more teachers, trainers, social groups and religious groups are asking for presentations for internal or external climate education events.

The Global Climate Risk Index 2006 analyses how much countries and country groups have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss even

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is an innovative instrument that brings more transparency into international climate politics. On the basis of standardised criteria, it evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of the 53 countries that, together, are responsible for more than 90 percent of the world-wide energy-related CO2 emissions. The goal of the index is to increase the political and societal pressure on those countries that have neglected their homework on climate change up to now.

The environment and development organisation Germanwatch presents today the results of the new international Climate Change Performance Index. The index compares the climate protection performance of 53 industrialised and emerging countries that, together, are responsible for 90 percent of the world-wide carbon dioxide emissions.

The spectacular worldwide receding of mountain glaciers is one of the most reliable evidences of the changing global climate since mid 19th century. Mountain glaciers therefore, are seen as key indicators for climate changes and act as a sort of "global thermometer" (Haeberli et al. 1998b, IPCC 2001, OcCC 2002). And although the global temperature rise of about 0.6°C in the last hundred years might seem negligible at first sight its impacts are tremendous. Alone the Alp glaciers have lost around one third of their surface area and half of their volume by the 1970s. Likewise, since the 1980s 10-20% of the estimated 130 km3 of ice reserves have been lost (Maisch/ Haeberli 2003).

Hot summers, floods, and winters without snow – during the last decade extreme weather events have given rise to worldwide concerns. One can hardly fail to notice that these extreme events indicate potential impacts of climate change in the future. Other consequences, however, which are at least as serious, emerge only gradually. One example are rising sea levels which threaten huge areas and coastal settlements and have serious effects particularly on people in developing countries.

Brief information about the climate impacts of aviation.

"We don’t want to leave this place. We don’t want to leave, it’s our land, our God given land, it is our culture, we can’t leave. People won’t leave until the very last minute.” With these dramatic words, Paani Laupepa, the former assistant secretary at Tuvalu's Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment, expressed the feelings of many Tuvaluans when it comes to the worst-case scenario of climate change and its effects on small island nations.

Within the framework of the initiative "Securing Food - For a Global Paradigm Shift in Agricultural Policies" FIAN, German National Association of Worldshops and Germanwatch support fair rules for international trade in agricultural goods. It is our opinion that a Global Paradigm Shift in Agricultural Policies is necessary to ensure the human right to food for all human beings and to provide agricultural production with a social, ecological and consequently, sustainable profile.