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Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2019

Topics covered:

Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2019

What to study?

For Prelims: About CCPI- features, criteria and performance of various countries.

For Mains: Concerns for India, areas for improvement and the need for government’s active involvement in controlling climate change.

Context: The latest edition of Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) was recently presented at the climate summit in Madrid.

For Prelims:

What is Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)?

Designed by the German environmental and development organisation Germanwatch e.V.

  • Published in cooperation with the NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network International and with financial support from Barthel Foundation.
  • Objective: To enhance transparency in international climate politics.
  • First published in 2005 and an updated version is presented at the UN Climate Change Conference annually.
  • 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:

  1. GHG Emissions (weighting 40%).
  2. Renewable Energy (weighting 20%).
  3. Energy Use (weighting 20%).
  4. Climate Policy (weighting 20%).

Components_of_the_CCPI

India’s performance:

  1. India, at rank 9, joins the top ten countries.
  2. Despite high ratings for the performance of its climate policy, the government is yet to draw up a roadmap to reduce subsidies on fossil fuels in a phased manner.
  3. In short, more stringent laws and amendments should be made to achieve climate change targets.

Performance of other countries:

  • USA for the first time replaces Saudi Arabia as worst performing country.
  • Sweden is ranked first, Denmark climbs up significantly in the ranking.
  • Eight EU countries rated “high” – Poland and Bulgaria “very low”.
  • China, the largest global emitter, once again slightly improves its ranking to 30th place (“medium”).
  • While only two G20 countries, the UK (7th) and India (9th), are ranked in the “high” category, eight G20 countries are remaining in the worst category of the index (“very low”).

Value addition for mains:

Key findings:

  • Majority of countries show decline in emissions.
  • Decreasing emissions in 31 out of 57 high emitting countries – global coal consumption falling.
  • But more ambition and accelerated action needed.

Sources: the Hindu.