India has retained its spot at the 10th rank in the best-performing countries in the global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) for the third year in a row. The report released by Germanwatch on the side-lines of the COP26 has noted that no country performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating in CCPI. As a result, the top three places in the overall ranking remain empty once again. Denmark placed 4th and is the highest-ranked country in CCPI 2022. However, it does not perform well enough to achieve an overall very high rating. Thus India at the 10th slot is the seventh-best performing country.
The CCPI evaluates 60 countries and the European Union, which together generate more than 90 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Performance of major emitters
The report has shown that the countries that are major emitters have fared poorly in climate performance. China, which is currently the biggest polluter, is at the 37th position falling three spots as compared to the last year. The United States, while has improved its performance ever since it re-joined the global climate negotiation process, is at the 55th rank.
None of the countries could fare well enough to have ‘very high’ rating, a repetition of the earlier year, as none could score more than 80 per cent or above.
Climate Action Performance of India
The report has highlighted that India has maintained a strong performance like last year, even as it faced pandemic-hit operational difficulties which saw some regulatory flexibility to put the country’s economy back on track. The report rated the country’s performance ‘high’ in the GHG emissions, energy use and climate policy categories, and medium in renewable energy.
The report has said that India “is already on track to meet its 2030 emissions target (which is compatible with a well-below-2°C scenario), close to achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of a 40% share for non-fossil fuel installed power capacity by 2030, and on course for a targeted 33–35% reduction in energy intensity by the same year.”
“Considerable improvement of renewables targets and the focus on implementation and achievement of NDC targets has contributed to India’s strong performance this year,” said a CCPI country expert. “India’s ambitious renewable energy policies, such as its targets of renewable electricity capacity of 450 GW and a 30% electric vehicle share by 2030, also contributed” added the expert.
However, the experts have pointed out that some of the country’s policies are disjointed and missing detail on implementation and long-term targets. They have also expressed concerns on the fact that no Indian state has announced a clear coal phase-out, and in fact, the coal-driven power in the country has increased since the Paris Agreement in 2015.
PM Narendra Modi has announced at COP26 that India has set the Net-Zero target for 2070. The report has recommended that “India should set Net Zero target for 2050 and leverage its domestic success on renewables and emissions intensity into international initiatives. More could be done to strengthen policies on climate vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience building. Equity and social development should also feature more strongly in the energy transition.”
