COP29: India remains among highest performers in climate change performance index

COP29: India remains among highest performers in climate change performance index

India slipped three positions in the Climate Change Performance Index 2025, but still managed to remain among the top 10 in the gauge, the results of which were released on Wednesday at the UN climate summit being held in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.

One of the main reasons for India’s high ranking was because it had the lowest emission per person among the major economies, according to index co-author Jan Burck of Germanwatch, a research organisation. The performance index, prepared by Germanwatch and NewClimate Institute, a think tank, is a league table of 64 nations and the European Union, which together account for about 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The top three slots of the index were left blank as the authors said none of the countries surveyed were performing adequately to justify those positions. Only 22 of the 64 surveyed CCPI countries, including the EU, were on track that was aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius and make efforts to contain it to 1.5 degrees.

The UK (6th) and India (10th) were the only two G20 countries among the high performers in CCPI 2025. “India has maintained low greenhouse gas emissions per capita since 1990,” the index report said. “The level is well below the global average and the CCPI’s Paris-compatible pathway for the country.”

Drastically cutting emissions is the only measure for preventing hazardous climate change, the index’s authors said. “Global emissions must peak by 2025 and be halved by 2030 compared with 2020 levels,” they pointed out. “Time is running out and an emissions turnaround is urgently needed.”

The index ranked nations based on four categories — greenhouse gas emissions (40 percent weightage), renewable energy (20 percent), energy use (20 percent), and climate policy (20 percent). The fourth category was based on expert assessments by civil society organisations and think tanks from the respective countries.

India received a high ranking in the emissions and energy use categories, medium in climate policy, and low in renewable energy. Since the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected earlier this year for a third term, major changes in climate policy are unlikely, the CCPI’s country assessment said. “The growth-oriented approach to climate action is expected to continue or intensify, driven by rising energy demand from industry and the population, rather than a focus on decarbonization or equity – with substantial differences between states and local exceptions,” it said.

“India has historically high levels of wealth and carbon inequality that need to be addressed urgently,” said Chennamaneni, policy advisor for Indo-German Climate and Development Co-Operation. “The richest 1 percent owns 40 percent of the country’s wealth while emitting far more than the vast majority of Indians.”

The CCPI country experts expect India to meet its nationally determined contribution. However, they emphasised that targets should be included for sectors beyond emissions and electricity. Domestically, sectors such as transport, industry, housing and water are regulated, and the CCPI experts recommended also including these in the NDC, which is a voluntary commitment by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The experts, who included Shikha Bhasin of the Council of energy, Environment and Water and Ashwani Ashok of the Center for Environment and Energy Development, however, cautioned that despite the positive developments, India remained heavily reliant on coal, and its phase-out was progressing too slowly.