India ranked high along with the European Union and the United Kingdom in the latest edition of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2020 released by non-profit Germanwatch.

It’s a very rare feat that India has performed so better in any climate-related index. We can use this data to highlight India’s dedicated efforts for Paris Agreement.

Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)

• The CCPI is an independent monitoring tool for tracking countries’ climate protection performance. It has been published annually since 2005.
• It evaluates 57 countries and the European Union, which together generate 90%+ of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Using standardised criteria, the CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the overall score), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%).
• The CCPI’s unique climate policy section evaluates countries’ progress in implementing policies working towards achieving the Paris Agreement goals.

Global scenario

• No country was doing enough to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to the index.
• Six G20 countries were ranked among very low performers. The United States, with a rank of 61, was the worst performer.

India’s performance

• India, for the second time in a row, continued to remain in the top 10. The country scored 63.98 points out of 100.
• It received high ratings on all CCPI indicators except ‘renewable energy’, where it was categorised as having a ‘medium’ performance.
• Last year, India had been ranked at the ninth position, with an overall score of 66.02.
• India needed to focus more on renewable energy, both, as a mitigation strategy and for its post-novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) green recovery, the report said.

Renewable energy

• No country was rated very high on indicators defining the ‘renewable energy’ category.
• India has been ranked at 27th out of 57 countries under the category this time. Last year, it was ranked at 26^th.
• India’s performance has been rated as ‘medium’ for its current share of renewable energy. Its performance for the development of renewable energy supply during the last year was rated as ‘high’.

A positive sign for India

• India’s improved policy framework has been responsible for the country’s good performance in this global index. However, the report underlined the need for long-term planning.
• Unlike the other two ‘BASIC’ countries of China and South Africa, India is yet to announce its mitigation strategy.

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