Knowledge Nugget: How is the Climate Change Performance Index 2026 relevant for the UPSC exam

Key Takeaways:

1. According to the CCPI 2026 published at the UN COP30 Climate Summit, the top three places continue to remain vacant, as no country achieved an overall very high rating.

2. Denmark emerged as the top-ranked country in the CCPI 2026 report, leading the index with 80.52 points at the 4th position. It is followed by the UK with 70.80 and Morocco with 70.75, at fifth and sixth, respectively.

3. China, at 54, and the United States, at 65, remain the world’s largest emitters, the report stated.

4. Saudi Arabia, at the 67th position, stands at the bottom of the index with a score of 11.9. It follows Iran at 66th position with 14.33 points.

India’s Rank on CCPI 2026

1. India fell 13 places from its previous ranking of 10th to stand at 23rd in the latest global climate change performance with a score of 61.31.

2. The report also labelled India among the biggest producers of oil, gas, and coal worldwide, leading it to fall from a ‘high performer’ to a ‘medium’ one in this year’s CCPI.

3. The country also scored medium in GHG emissions, climate policy, and energy use, and low in renewable energy.

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026 presents a mixed global picture overall.

About the Climate Change Performance Index 

1. The CCPI is an independent monitoring tool that tracks the climate mitigation performance of 63 countries and the EU. It aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate mitigation efforts and progress made by individual countries. It is published annually since 2005.

2. The CCPI report is jointly published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute, and the Climate Action Network (CAN) International. According to the official website of Germanwatch, the CCPI assesses each country’s performance in four categories:

(i) GHG Emissions (40% of the overall ranking),

(ii) Renewable Energy (20%),

(iii) Energy Use (20%) and

(iv) Climate Policy (20%).

3. CCPI also answers the question of the extent to which each country is taking appropriate action in the areas of emissions, renewable energy, energy use and climate policy in order to achieve the climate goals set in Paris.

BEYOND THE NUGGET:  Climate Risk Index (CRI) report 

1. During the COP30 climate conference, the CRI report was released by Germanwatch, a Bonn-based non-governmental organisation.

2. Published since 2006, the CRI is one of the longest-running annual climate impact-related indices. The index measures the consequences of climate-related extreme weather events’ effect on countries. It ranks countries by their economic and human impacts (fatalities, as well as total affected), with the most affected country ranked highest.

3. According to the report, India has been ranked 9th in the list of countries worst affected by climate-related disasters in the last 30 years. The last time this index was prepared, in 2023, India was ranked eighth.

4. According to the report, globally 8.32 lakh lives were lost between 1995 and 2024 due to extreme weather events, out of which India has recorded 80,000 fatalities, or nearly 9.6% of the global number.

Post Read Question

With reference to the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026, consider the following statements:

1. The top three positions remain vacant, with no single country ranking ‘very high’ on all parameters for climate change mitigation.

2. Denmark has retained its rank as the top country (4th place) in the index.

3. India fell 13 places from its previous ranking of 10th to stand at 23rd.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

(Sources: Climate Change Performance Index 2026: Top 10 leaders and laggards — India falls 13 ranks, India 9th among countries worst hit by climate disasters in last 30 years: Report)

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