(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Nov 20 (KNN) India has fallen 13 places to the 23rd position in the latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026, released by Germanwatch on the sidelines of the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.

The drop marks India's sharpest decline in recent years, after having secured a place among the top 10 high-performing countries for six consecutive years until 2024. India first entered the top 10 in 2019, rising from the 31st position in 2014.

The CCPI assesses climate action in 63 countries and the EU, representing over 90 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Rankings are based on performance across four indicators: GHG emissions, renewable energy, energy use, and climate policy.

Despite India's steady expansion of renewables-now accounting for nearly 14 percent of its total energy mix and over 50 percent of its installed electricity capacity-the country registered one of the steepest declines in this year's index, reported TOI.

Analysts attribute this fall primarily to the continued rise in GHG emissions, with India ranking last globally on emission trends. Increasing energy consumption and a decline in climate policy scores also contributed to the setback.

Jan Burck, Germanwatch, one of the report's authors, said India's lower ranking reflects its absence of a clear coal phase-out plan and the ongoing approval and construction of coal power plants.

He noted that curbing new coal capacity while maintaining momentum in renewables could help India regain its earlier high ranking.

This year's index placed Denmark, the UK and Morocco in the fourth, fifth and sixth positions, with the top three ranks again left vacant due to no country achieving a 'very high' rating.

Among G20 nations, China (54th), Russia (64th), the United States (65th) and Saudi Arabia (67th) ranked among the worst performers, receiving 'very low' overall scores.

Published annually by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network, the CCPI has, since 2005, served as an independent benchmarking tool to track and compare global climate mitigation efforts.

According to the CCPI 2026 report, the index aims to enhance transparency in global climate politics and assess countries' progress toward meeting international climate goals.

(KNN Bureau)

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