India improves ranking in Climate Change Performance Index

India has climbed six places to 25th position amongst 58 countries in the latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), which emphasised that developing countries should not ape industrialised nations, but choose a "cleverer and cleaner" development path.
The 2016 index issued by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe said that regarding renewables and energy efficiency, India's scores improved "slightly".
India made some improvements and ranks one place below Indonesia in the category of moderate performing countries, it said.
"India climbed six ranks this year up to 25. The country performs second best in emissions level but ranks 59th in emissions development. Regarding renewables and efficiency, India's scores improved slightly," it said.

It said that national experts value a shift of investments from coal to the renewables sector, including a massive expansion of solar energy in India.
India plans to use non-fossil fuel sources for 40 per cent of installed power capacity by 2030 and so improved its score in the policy ranking, it said.

"It will be crucial that countries such as India or Morocco, which are still well below the world average regarding per capita emissions...Do not follow the development pathways of industrialised countries, but instead choose a cleverer and cleaner development path. Other countries must provide support to those countries so that they are able to make this critical decision," it said.

The Climate Change Performance Index is an instrument designed to enhance transparency in international climate politics and aims to put political and social pressure on those countries which have, up until now, failed to take ambitious action on climate protection.
On the basis of standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries that together are responsible for more than 90 per cent of global energy-related CO2 emissions.
The index said that China, Morocco, India, France and Germany improved its policy evaluation and find themselves in the group of relatively good performing countries, where they were also joined by the US, improving its score by 23 places.

"Among the countries with lower per-capita emissions, India, China and Brazil all have high growth rates, while emissions are generally decreasing in the EU and in some of its member states in particular," it said.
The Index added that newly industrialised countries like India show good developments.