KATOWICE, Poland (AP) — The Latest on climate talks taking place in Poland (all times local):
11:20 a.m.
Groups that monitor countries' performance in tackling climate change say Sweden remains top of the league, while the United States has dropped in the index.
The Climate Change Performance Index released Monday on the sidelines of a U.N. summit on global warming has no countries in the top three ranks because none does well in all categories assessed.
But Sweden took the best spot, fourth, as last year, while Morocco's efforts to ramp up renewable energy pushed it up a notch to fifth place.
The European Union as a whole rose from 21st to 16th place, but its biggest economy, Germany, fell from 22nd to 27th because of its reliance on lignite coal, a big source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The New Climate Institute, Climate Action Network and Germany, which produced the index, said the U.S. dropped from 56th to 59th place due to high emissions and poor ratings for the federal government's policies.
Saudi Arabia came last, in 60th place, partly due to its obstructive role during international climate negotiations.
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6 a.m.
More than 450 asset managers, including major pension funds and insurance companies, are calling on governments to phase out coal-fired power plants and put a meaningful price on carbon to help tackle climate change.
The funds, with over $32 trillion in assets, issued their appeal Monday as ministers gathered in Katowice, Poland, for the second week of a U.N. climate summit.
Burning fossil fuels such as coal is a major source of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and scientists say it needs to end by the middle of the century to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).
The United States has announced it is pulling out of the 2015 Paris climate accord. It is hosting an event at the U.N. talks to promote innovative fossil fuel technology.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
