Dubai: India ranked 7th in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index, up one spot from the previous one, and also remained among the highest performers, according to the report released here during the global climate talks COP28 on Friday.
Monitoring Climate Mitigation Efforts of 63 Countries plus the EU – covering more than 90 per cent of the Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, India has received a high ranking in the greenhouse gas Emissions and Energy Use categories, but a medium in Climate Policy and Renewable Energy, as in the previous year.
While India is the world’s most populous country, it has relatively low per capita emissions, the index said.
“Our data shows that in the per capita GHG category, the country is on track to meet a benchmark of well below 2 degrees Celsius. While it shows a slightly positive trend in the share of renewable energy, this trend is advancing too slowly,” the report based on the index said.
The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) country experts reported that India is trying to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with clear long-term policies in place that focus on promoting renewable energy and providing financial support for domestic manufacturing of renewable energy components.
Despite that, India’s growing energy needs are still being met by its heavy reliance on coal, along with oil and gas, the report pointed out. The report further said,
This dependence is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and causes severe air pollution, especially in the cities.
India has relatively high taxes on petrol and diesel, which are intended to act as carbon taxes. The impact of these taxes on consumption remains disputed. The report said,
While some experts describe them as an effective tool to reduce the consumption of petrol and diesel, others point to the high dependence of the government on these tax revenues. At the last COP, India, together with China, changed the wording of the cover decision to ‘phase down’ rather than ‘phase out’ fossil fuels. This was a setback for the global commitment to end the fossil fuel era. Some of our experts also report that large-scale renewable energy projects have negatively affected the livelihoods of local communities through land grabs and unequal distribution. Our experts report that policies are largely mitigative, yet they should also focus on transformative adaptation and disaster risk management.”
The report also pointed out that policymakers should also adopt ecosystem-based solutions and consider equity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement at COP26 that India will achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 shows a lack of ambition and political will, according to our experts, the report said.
The experts therefore called for more effective policy implementation that takes a more bottom-up approach, including the demands of tribal and rural communities.
“Specifically, they call for a faster phase-out of coal, reduced reliance on gas, and expanded renewable energy. The experts want to see the country fulfill its potential in climate action by moving up the timeline for reaching Net Zero to no later than 2050. They want to see the creation of people-friendly, climate-friendly, sustainable infrastructure that is affordable, accessible, and available to all, while taking the location’s cultural and social context into account,” it said.
Srinivas Krishnaswamy, CEO, Vasudha Foundation said it is indeed heartening to see India ranked high in the Climate Change Performance Index 2024. He said,
It is evident that India has taken concrete actions vis-a-vis our NDCs. India’s non-fossil power installed capacity as on date has already around 44 per cent as against the target of 50 per cent by 2030; India’s emission intensity to GDP as on 2019 reduced by 33 per cent to 2005 levels and with this trajectory will far exceed its NDC commitment of reducing its emission intensity to GDP of 45 per cent by 2030 to 2005 levels.
“Further, a number of states have also taken concrete actions to address climate change. So in my view, the CCPI results seem to be bang on,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
