France, UK and Germany low-carbon front runners

France, the UK and Germany are front-runners in the transition to a low-carbon economy according to a new report produced by the London-based not-for-profit organisation E3G and the Australian Climate Institute. The report focused on the G20 countries, which together account for around 75% of world GDP and nearly 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.

The report found that European countries were ahead of the rest of the G20 in preparing for a low-carbon world, though it conceded that this was in part due to structural economic changes in the 1990s. According to the report, the US has the potential to become a front-runner in the transition to a low carbon world, but has been held up by a relatively carbon-intensive infrastructure. Japan was reported to be losing leadership over the transition, while South Korea was reported to be making increasing efforts to alter its energy consumption patterns.