For the second year in a row, Australia has ranked fifth-last on a climate change performance index.
The index compares 58 countries that together are responsible for 90 per cent of the world's carbon emissions.
Lower-ranked than Australia are Korea, Kazakhstan, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
France, Sweden and the United Kingdom topped the index.
But Foreign Minister Julie Bishop claims Australia is making progress when it comes to combating climate change.
"Success depends on our actions and Australia is on track to meet - indeed, beat - our 2020 target. Our 2030 target will halve our per capita emissions and reduce our emissions by two thirds per unit of GDP."
The paper was released at a global meeting on climate change in Morocco.
It indicates Australia has improved in the areas of renewable energy and cutting emissions, but is doing worse in energy efficiency.
Last August, more than 180 countries reached a deal in the French capital, Paris, to tackle global warming.
The historic deal marked the first time that governments agreed to legally binding limits to global temperature rises.
It came into effect this month after being ratified by more than 100 nations, including Australia.
Speaking at the talks in Marrakech, Ms Bishop says Australia will meet its commitments.
"The long term challenge is integrating our climate actions across policy, business and industry decisions, to achieve the global transition we signed up to last year. Australia is committed to this long term goal and we look forward to working across the climate landscape to make this happen."
Also in Morocco is US Secretary of State John Kerry, who called on world leaders to educate themselves on climate change.
"No-one has the right to make decisions that affect billions of people based on solely ideology or without proper input. Anyone who has these conversations, who takes the time to learn from these experts, who gets the full picture of what we are facing, I believe they can only come to one legitimate decision and that is to act boldly on climate change and encourage others to do the same."
With 2016 on track to be the hottest year on record, Mr Kerry warned the impacts of global warming are now evident across the world.
Mr Kerry's address was partly aimed at the US president-elect Donald Trump, who has called global warming a 'hoax' and indicated plans to abandon the Paris deal.
"While I can't stand here and speculate about what policies our President-elect will pursue, I will tell you this, in the time I have spent in public life, one of the things I have learned is that some issues look a little bit different when you are actually in office compared to when you are on the campaign trail and the truth is that climate change shouldn't be a partisan issue in the first place."
The US election outcome has created uncertainty about the future of climate change mitigation.
But not all are concerned about Donald Trump's position.
Speaking on Sky News, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has welcomed Mr Trump's stance on the issue.
"Yes it is an issue but the moral panic about this has been completely over the top. One of the good things, the encouraging thing, about the election of President Trump is that we should finally be able to see this issue in better perspective. It is significant, we should take reasonable steps to limit our emissions but the last thing we should do is impose socialism in the name of misguided environmentalism and that has been the risk for a very long time."
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