UN Releases the Climate Change Performance Index

In News

At the ongoing COP25 climate summit in Madrid, the United Nations has released the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

In-Detail

The CCPI is a global assessment of emissions trajectories of major countries.
It measures the GHG emissions, renewable energy and energy use and climate policies of 57 national and the European Union.
India, which is constantly in news for high leaves of air pollution figured among the top 10 best-performing countries. The country is ranked ninth and is in the high category.
The country’s per capita emissions are still low.
The country ranked better due to its ambitious 2030 emission targets and energy use categories.
The USA and Saudi Arabia are the worst-performing nations.
These two major polluters are showing no signs of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, as per the assessment.
This is due to the strong oil and coal lobby present in these two countries.
The US is last, followed by Saudi Arabia and Australia.
But, many counties reported a fall in emissions majorly due to fading out of coal in some of the industries.
As per the index, variations in climate performance were observed within regions.
In the EU, while Sweden is the leader in reducing the emission, many countries are yet to comply with Paris climate goals.
The report found that China has taken medium action largely due to its heavy investments in renewable energy.

The Index Weightage

GHG Emissions – 40%
Renewable Energy – 20%
Energy use – 20%
Climate policy – 20%

Top Ranking Countries

Sweden – rank 4
Denmark – rank 5
Morocco – rank 6
United Kingdom – rank 7

The Climate Goal

In 2015, world nations agreed to limit the rise of global temperature to below two degrees centigrade above the pre-industrial levels.
Now, the goal seems to be a distant dream.

Conclusion

Climate change is threatening humanity unlike anything before. From the CCPI, it appears that many countries are yet to grasp the urgency of the matter. When the climate tipping points are crossed, it affects not any particular country but the whole world. Laggard countries must understand this and start acting now.