WWF ranks G8 nations

WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Canada and the United States are lagging behind the other Group of Eight nations in climate-change work, a new report says.

According to the 2008 G8 Climate Scorecards released by the conservation organization WWF and German financial services provider Allianz SE, Canada and the United States scored seventh and eighth respectively.

Each of the G8 countries was evaluated for 12 objective performance criteria, including greenhouse gas emission trends and progress made toward meeting Kyoto targets.

The scorecard suggests Canada and the United States both have very high emissions per capita compared with the average of industrialized countries.

"The good news is that some provinces and municipalities are starting to take action on climate change, or the prime minister would have very little to show the other G8 leaders," said Julia Langer, director of WWF-Canada's Climate Change Program. "But all the G8 countries are doing too little, too late, to steer the world towards a low-carbon, clean-energy economy."

The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy topped the scorecards, while Japan, the host of the summit, ranked fifth.