Climate Change Performance Index 2023

Published annually since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is an independent monitoring tool for tracking the climate protection performance of 60 countries and the European Union (EU).

CCPI Latest News

The CCPI 2023 was published on November 14th 2022 on the sidelines of COP 27 by three environmental NGOs namely the German Watch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network International.

In this article, we shall discuss the key indicators of CCPI and the findings based on their evaluation of the 60 countries and the EU. UPSC Exam aspirants must focus on the results achieved as questions based on the same can be framed under the IAS Mains GS 2 and 3 papers. 

To check India’s position in other Important Global Indices, aspirants can visit the linked article.

Climate Change Performance Index [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

CCPI 2023 – Key Findings

• The CCPI 2023 report analyses the climate performance of the European Union and 59 countries, which account for over 92% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world.
• In the CCPI 2023, no country was reported to have performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall “very high” rating in the index. Thus, the first three ranks in the overall ranking remain empty. 
• Denmark was ranked the best country and was ranked fourth followed by Sweden (5th), Chile (6th), Morocco (7th) and India (8th).
• The largest emitters in the world, China and the US have been ranked 51st and 52nd respectively.
• The European Union as a whole has climbed three spots to 19th place and has missed the “high” category by a small margin.
• Russia has been ranked as the weakest-performing country in climate policy with Turkey, Hungary and Brazil also performing very poorly in this category. 
• Performance of India:
  • India rose two spots to rank eighth (India was ranked tenth in CCPI 2022).
  • India is the only G-20 country in the top 10 ranks and this has gained a lot of significance as India assumes the Presidency of G-20.
  • India’s better performance in the latest edition of CCPI is due to its low emissions and the increasing use of renewable energy.
  • India has been accorded high ratings in the GHG Emissions and Energy Use categories but rated medium for Climate Policy and Renewable Energy. 
  • The report further notes that India is well on track to achieve its 2030 emissions targets, compatible with a well below 2°C but the renewable energy pathway is not on track to meet the 2030 targets.

CCPI 2022 – Key Findings

• Denmark is the highest-ranked country in CCPI 2022, followed by Sweden and Norway at the fourth and fifth positions respectively.
• India grabbed the 10th position in 2022.
• Performance by G20:
  • Four countries were among the high-performing countries – United Kingdom (7th), India (10th), Germany (13th), and France (17th).
  • 11 countries receive a low or very low overall rating.
  • Saudi Arabia, which ranked at the 63rd position was the worst-performing G20 country.
• Performance by EU:
  • Overall, the EU drops six places from last year, to now rank 22nd, and no longer is among the high performers.
  • Denmark and Sweden are the best-performing EU countries.
  • Slovenia (50th), Czech Republic (51st), Poland (52nd), and Hungary (53rd) were the worst performers in the EU with a very low rating.

Indicators of Climate Change Performance Index 

There are four main categories based on which the performance of the countries is evaluated. These include:

• Green House Gas Emissions
• Renewable Energy
• Energy Use
• Climate Policy

The countries’ commitments under the Paris Agreement are still insufficient: to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C a more ambitious climate action is urgently needed. With CCPI, countries are able to compete and compare the different indicators and scrutinize their own performance and sectors of improvement. 

Discussed below are the four category-wise results based on CCPI 2022. 

• Green House Gas Emissions

  • The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a sharp, globally unrepresented 5.4% drop in CO2 emissions
  • The performance of G20 was slightly improved with the edition of two more countries in the very high overall ratings for Green House Gas emissions
  • Seven G20 countries received a very low rating for their performance, including the Russian Federation, Australia, the United States, and Canada
  • EU rated medium for its overall performance and in all indicators in the GHG Emissions category

• Renewable Energy

  • Renewable energy capacity continues to grow at a record pace, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • In 2020, 260 GW of renewable energy capacity was installed globally, which accounted for 81% of the total electricity capacity added
  • Norway is the first country, receiving a very high rating in this category
  • India joins Brazil, Indonesia, and Turkey as the only G20 countries rating high in the Renewable Energy category

• Energy Use

  • Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and India receives a high rating
  • Malta and Greece are the only two EU countries that ranked high

• Climate Policy

  • France, China, the United Kingdom, and India are under the 18 countries earning a high rating
  • With Luxembourg and Denmark, two EU countries lead the Climate Policy ranking

Also, refer to the related links given below:

India’s Status in CCPI 2022

India maintains its strong performance from last year’s CCPI, holding 10th place. India’s performance was rated high in the GHG Emissions, Energy Use, and Climate Policy categories, and medium in Renewable Energy. 

The experts also stress 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. 

Although India receives an overall high performance, the experts argue that the country should set an explicit net zero target for 2050 and leverage its domestic success on renewables and emissions intensity into international initiatives. 

Climate Change Performance Index [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

Candidates looking forward to appearing for the upcoming civil services exam must go through the above-mentioned details, important from the UPSC mains perspective.

For any further details on exam notification, study material and preparation tips, visit BYJU’S.