Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2024

Why in News

      India has been ranked seventh in climate performance during 2022- the report Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2024.

Important Points

Findings:

•     India is effectively fourth as no one has occupied the first three ranks in the ‘very high’ performance category.

•     Most developed countries fared poorly compared to last year including the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy and others, showing the emergency of acting to counter climate change has yet not registered with them appropriately.

•     Saudi Arabia was at the bottom — 67th — in the performance list, while the host country United Arab Emirates occupied the 65th position.

•     CCPI countries must have an emissions peak by 2025 to keep the 1.5°C goal in reach. Moreover, emissions must be halved by 2030 (vs 2020) levels.

•     Despite the urgent need to decarbonise all sectors, global greenhouse gases (GHG) have increased in 2022 and atmospheric CO2 is now 50 per cent higher than pre-industrial levels,” read the report.

•     India’s high population, which automatically reduces its per capita energy use, plays a major role in giving it a high position in climate performance.

•     Of the four indices considered, India was ranked 9th in GHG Emissions and 10th in Energy Use among assessed countries; both being prompted by a low per capita benchmark. In Climate Policy too, India was ranked 10th among countries in the list. In Renewable Energy, India is ranked 37th, barely remaining within the ‘high’ performance category. India was 24th in this category in the preceding year’s assessment.

•     India receives a high ranking in the GHG Emissions and Energy Use categories, but a medium in Climate Policy and Renewable Energy, as in the previous year. While India is the world’s most populous country, it has relatively low per capita emissions. Our data shows that in the per capita GHG category, the country is on track to meet a benchmark of well below 2°C. While it shows a slightly positive trend in the share of renewable energy, this trend is advancing too slowly,” read the report.

•     India is trying to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), with clear long-term policies in place that focus on promoting renewable energy (but) India’s growing energy needs are still being met by its heavy reliance on coal, along with oil and gas.

•     It added: “This dependence is a major source of GHG emissions and causes severe air pollution, especially in the cities.” India is among the most air-polluted countries of the world.

•     Other members of the BASIC group of emerging economies have also done reasonably well in the assessment, besides India.

•     China retained the same position — 51st — compared to year back. Brazil improved 15 positions and South Africa slipped one position on the same benchmark.

•     Among developed countries, Italy slipped 15 positions in ranking, United Kingdom and France nine positions, Japan eight positions and the United States has been pushed back five positions. Germany and the European Union improved marginally.

CCPI

•     The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is a scoring system designed by the German environmental and development organisation Germanwatch to enhance transparency in international climate politics.

•     On the basis of standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 63 countries and the European Union (EU).

•     The CCPI was first published in 2005 and an updated version is presented at the UN Climate Change Conference annually.

•     Germanwatch publishes the index in cooperation with the NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network International and with financial support from Barthel Foundation.

Methodology

•     In 2017, the underlying methodology of the CCPI was revised and adapted to the new climate policy framework of the Paris Agreement from 2015.

•     The CCPI was extended in order to include the measurement of a country’s progress towards the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the country’s 2030 targets.

The national performances are assessed based on 14 indicators in the following four categories:

?   GHG emissions (weighting 40%)

?   Renewable energy (weighting 20%)

?   Energy use (weighting 20%)

?   Climate policy (weighting 20%)

•     The three categories "GHG emissions", "renewable energy" and "energy use" are each defined by four equally weighted indicators: (1) current level, (2) recent developments (5-year trend), (3) 2 °C compatibility of the current performance, and (4) 2 °C compatibility of 2030 target.

•     These 12 indicators are complemented by two indicators, measuring the country's performance regarding its national climate policy framework and implementation as well as regarding international climate diplomacy in the category "climate policy".

•     The data for the "climate policy" category is assessed annually in a comprehensive research study. Its basis is the performance rating by climate change experts from non-governmental organisations, universities and think tanks within the countries that are evaluated.

•     In a questionnaire, the respondents give a rating on the most important measures of their governments.