Australia has the worst climate change policies out of 57 nations studied and the Morrison government is a "regressive force" internationally, according to a new report.

Three think-tanks - the NewClimate Institute, the Climate Action Network, and Germanwatch - assessed the national climate actions of 57 nations across the categories of emissions, renewable energy, energy use, and policy.  The resulting report, the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index, showed that Australia was the sixth-worse performer in all four categories, making it the worst overall in all 57 countries.

What's worse, the report concludes that the Morrison government "has continued to worsen performance at both national and international levels".  It goes on to say, "Experts note that the (Morrison) government is an increasingly regressive force in negotiations and has been criticized for its lack of ambition by several Pacific Island nations in the context of this year's Pacific Island Forum."

Citing specifics, "The dismissal of recent (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports, the government not attending the UN Climate Action Summit in September, and the withdrawal from funding the Green Climate Fund (GCF) underpin the overall very low performance in the climate policy category."

The Morrison government hasn't explained how it will meet the country's 2030 emission reduction target, according to the report, and has failed to develop a long-term mitigation strategy.