Two of the world’s largest economies are sliding backwards on climate action, according to a closely watched independent assessment that has branded United States efforts “critically insufficient” and downgraded Canada’s policies into the same bottom category.
The Climate Action Tracker, a research initiative run by the NewClimate Institute and Climate Analytics, published its latest analysis of both countries this week. It left the overall United States rating at “critically insufficient” while scoring the country’s current policies and actions as “highly insufficient”. Canada fared little better: its overall rating stands at “highly insufficient”, and its sub-rating for policies and action has been downgraded to “critically insufficient”.
For Washington, the analysis points to a familiar list: withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, efforts to repeal federal emissions regulations, cuts to clean-energy incentives and continued support for fossil-fuel production. The trackers’ United States country lead described the Trump administration’s reversal as the most aggressive, comprehensive and consequential rollback of climate mitigation targets, policies and funding the group has ever analysed.
Canada quietly follows suit
While attention has fixed on Washington, the analysis says Ottawa has been quietly dismantling its own climate architecture. Prime Minister Mark Carney has removed the consumer carbon price, cancelled a planned cap on oil-and-gas emissions and terminated the “Two billion trees” programme early. The head of Climate Analytics said the extent of the rollback, largely in favour of the fossil-fuel industry, had shocked his team.
A warning ahead of COP31
The researchers warn that both countries could slide further down the rankings unless policy changes are reversed or new laws promote sustainability. The downgrade lands just as nations prepare for the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, where delivery on past pledges is expected to dominate the agenda — even as trade partners weigh their own responses through clean-energy trade tools.
For two G7 economies that once positioned themselves as climate leaders, the verdict is blunt: emissions-reduction targets are moving further out of reach.
