SYLLABUS
GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Context: Recently, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026 was released on the sidelines of the UN climate conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil.
Key Findings
- Top Performers:
- Denmark remains the highest-ranked country, placed at 4th with 80.52 points.
- United Kingdom and Morocco follow in 5th and 6th positions, with scores of 70.8 and 70.75, respectively.
- The top three positions continue to remain vacant, as no country achieved an overall ‘very high’ rating across all indicators.
- Global Climate Action Overview:
- Despite increased attention, global efforts remain inadequate to prevent dangerous climate change.
- G20 countries, responsible for over 75% of global emissions, show generally poor performance.
- Only the United Kingdom among the G20 received a “high” rating.
- Ten G20 nations, including China, USA, Russia, Australia, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, are classified as “very low” performers, largely due to continued dependence on fossil fuels.
- Lowest-Ranked Countries:
- Saudi Arabia is ranked 67th, followed by Iran (66th) and the United States (65th).
- These countries remain heavily reliant on oil and gas and other fossil fuels, significantly slowing progress toward global climate goals.
- India’s Performance:
- India has fallen 13 places, moving from 10th (CCPI 2025) to 23rd (CCPI 2026).
- India’s rating has shifted from “high performer” to “medium” performer.
- Category-wise performance:
- GHG Emissions: Medium
- Energy Use: Medium
- Climate Policy: Medium
- Renewable Energy: Low
- The decline is attributed to:
- India’s continued heavy reliance on coal,
- Absence of a clear coal exit timeline,
- Rising domestic production and consumption of coal, which slows progress toward renewable energy targets.
About the Report
- The CCPI report is jointly published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute, and the Climate Action Network.
- It has been released annually since 2005.
- It serves as an independent monitoring tool assessing climate mitigation performance.
- The index evaluates the climate mitigation performance of 63 countries and the European Union, collectively responsible for over 90% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Countries are evaluated across four categories:
- Greenhouse-Gas Emissions (weight 40 %)
- Renewable Energy (20 %)
- Energy Use (20 %)
- Climate Policy (20 %)