NEW DELHI: India remains in the top 10 for the second year in a row in the latest global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), released in Germany on Monday, where the biggest current emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) China figures at 33rd rank while the largest historical polluter, the USA, stands at the bottom of the list.
Though India slides to one position down from ninth position in 2019 to 10th this year, the country’s journey in its climate protection action has been consistent where it improved its ranking from 31st in 2014 to ninth last year.
Globally, none of the countries, assessed for the annual CCPI report, are, however, on a path compatible with the Paris Agreement goals to keep the global warming to well below 2 degree C by the end of the century from pre-industrial level base year (1850-1900) and make efforts to restrict it within 1.5 degree C rise.
The list is prepared by assessing performances of 57 countries and European Union (as a whole) in four categories - GHG emissions (40%), renewable energy (20%), energy use (20%) and climate policy (20%). These 57 countries and the EU collectively are responsible for about 90% of global GHG emissions.
The CCPI is developed by not-for-profit organisations Germanwatch and NewClimate Institute (Germany) together with the Climate Action Network (CAN International). It is an important tool to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
The CCPI 2021, covering the year 2020, shows that only two G20 countries - the UK and India - are figured among the high rankers while sixe others - the USA, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Russia (52nd) – are at the bottom. It’s the second time in a row when the USA is at the bottom of the ranking, below Saudi Arabia.
Referring to the largest fossil fuel exporting and producing countries such as the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia, Stephan Singer, senior advisor, global energy policies of Climate Action Network, said, “They are among the highest carbon polluters and the highest energy consumers. None of them have any useful federal climate policy in place to reduce carbon pollution. That shows the influential power of the fossil fuel industries in these countries.”
The report, covering CCPI, shows that overall, GHG emissions have increased slightly, but are actually falling in more than half of the countries (32) surveyed.