The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy‘s first-ever global survey showed the United States fared poorly, ranking ninth among 12 of the world’s largest economies, reports Maria Gallucci at Inside Climate News. The council’s recently released International Energy Efficiency Scorecard, showed the United Kingdom in first place, thanks to efficient industrial and transportation sectors. Germany was a close second due to strong national leadership across its entire economy. The next three spots were held by Japan, Italy and France. The European Union, Australia and China had a three-way tie for sixth place, and then, following a significant drop in score, came the United States, followed closely by Brazil, Canada and Russia. The scores were based on countries’ performance and policies in four sectors: buildings, industry, transportation and energy use at the national level. High scores are important, noted council Director Steven Nadel because “countries that use energy more efficiently require fewer resources to achieve the same goals, thus reducing costs, preserving valuable natural resources and creating jobs.” Many of the higher-ranking countries had national energy-savings goals, mandatory energy audits in factories, frequent use of public transportation and fuel-efficient cars.
Source:
U.S. Ranks Ninth Out of 12 Countries in Energy Efficiency (Maria Gallucci, InsideClimate News) http://insideclimatenews.org/breaking-news/20120713/us-ranks-ninth-out-12-countries-energy-efficiency
