21/11/2025
To meet growing energy demands while averting climate change, the world must accelerate innovation, argue experts David M. Hart, Colin Cunliff, Mia Beams, and Akkshath Subrahmanian.
Their new Global Energy Innovation Index measures the contributions of 39 nations to the global process of improving energy technologies. It draws on 16 indicators covering 3 groups of functions that facilitate innovation: knowledge creation and diffusion, market and enterprise formation, and public policy support and legitimation.
European nations dominate the rankings with Sweden topping the list, followed by Denmark, Finland, and Norway. Canada is the only nation outside of Europe to make the top 10.
The United States ranks 13th in the index, just below South Korea.
The bottom of the index is populated by large middle- and lower-income countries, including Brazil, Turkey, India, Mexico, and Indonesia.
"These rankings are consistent with the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities, which is a fundamental tenet of climate diplomacy that places a heavier burden for mitigating climate change on high-income countries that have emitted a disproportionate share of greenhouse gases in the past," note the authors.
"But this rosy interpretation should not be taken as an excuse for complacency. The task of energy innovation is a vital one, and all nations should be upping their games, making the strengths revealed by the index stronger and diminishing their weaknesses."
See the full rankings in CFR's Global Energy Innovation Index: https://on.cfr.org/4r6RHTO
