India Climbs to 7th Position in 2024 Climate Change Performance Index at COP28

According to the report presented during the COP28, India has ranked seventh in the Climate Change Performance Index 2024, gaining one spot from the previous year and maintaining its position as one of the highest performers. Similar to the previous year, India was ranked highly in the areas of energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Despite having the largest population in the world, India emits comparatively little CO2 per person. According to our data, the nation is on course to achieve a target of much less than 2 degrees Celsius in the per capita GHG category,” the CCPI research stated. It did point out, though, that India’s somewhat improving trend in its percentage of renewable energy was moving too slowly.

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India is still dependent on gas, oil, and coal

With explicit long-term policies in place that prioritize developing renewable energy and provide financial support for domestic manufacturing of renewable energy components, CCPI experts observed that India is working to reach its National Determined Contribution (NDC).

In spite of this, India continues to heavily rely on coal in addition to oil and gas to meet its expanding energy needs. According to the paper, this dependence is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and seriously pollutes the air, particularly in cities.

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It further stated that academics are still debating the effects of “carbon taxes” in India. While some praised them as a useful tool for cutting down on gasoline and diesel usage, others drew attention to how heavily the government depends on these tax income.

India, China, and other nations reworded the COP27 plebiscite to call for a “phase down” rather than a “phase out” of coal use, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi establishing a target of 2070 for net-zero emissions.

The CCPI specialists suggested that transformative adaptation and disaster risk management be the primary emphasis of India’s large-scale renewable energy project. They also advocated for more efficient policy implementation that follows a more bottom-up approach.

India’s high goals

During the high-level COP28 World Climate Action Summit opening ceremony on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to hold the COP33 Summit in India in 2028 and committed to reducing emissions intensity by 45% until 2030. In keeping with India’s goal of having net-zero emissions by 2070, he declared that the proportion of non-fossil fuels would rise to 50%.

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“Today, India has presented an excellent example of the balance between ecology and economy before the world. Despite India being home to 17 per cent of the population of the world, its contribution to Global Carbon Emissions is less than 4 per cent. India is one of those few economies of the world that is on the path to meet NDC targets,” he said in his opening remarks.

The Prime Minister also underscored that nations from the Global South expected developed countries to help them as much as possible, which was “natural and justified”. He also reiterated that climate finance worth trillions of dollars is required for “available, accessible and affordable” climate action and hoped that the COP28 provides an impetus in that direction.

The first week of the COP28 global climate talks concluded with a significant milestone with the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, pledges of over USD 83 billion and the draft text for Global Stocktake mentioning phasing out of all fossil fuels for the first time in years.