The Climate Change Performance Index 2023 report was recently released and India secured the 8th position in the index, up 2 positions from the last edition. As no country was strong enough in all index categories to achieve a very high overall ranking, the first three places, i.e. 1-3, are therefore vacant. After that, India is among the top 5 countries. With India (8th), the United Kingdom (11th) and Germany (16th), only three G20 countries are among the high performers in the CCPI 2023. Thus, India’s ranking is the best among the G20 countries.
The government recently updated the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by India to the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement. These include targets to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 45 percent by 2030 compared to the 2005 level; achieve around 50 percent of cumulative installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030 with the help of technology transfer and low-cost international finance, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF); and create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 through additional forest and tree cover.
In addition, India also submitted its long-term low-emission development strategy to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), during the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27). The government has also launched the flagship Execute, Achieve and Trade program to reduce specific energy consumption (SEC), i.e. energy consumption per unit of output for designated consumers (DC) in energy-intensive industries. Further, the Ujala program initiated by the government has led to the distribution of 36.86 million LED bulbs, resulting in energy savings of 47,876 million kWh of electricity per year, reduction of peak consumption by 9,585 MW and reduction of CO2 emissions by 38.77 million tons per year as of 30. June 2022.
Additionally, the government has announced a Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) trajectory up to 2030 and supports electric vehicles and the creation of charging infrastructure in the country. Ecoclubs have been created in schools and colleges to educate students and spread awareness about environmental issues.
Activities carried out by eco-clubs include plantations, cleanliness, green pledges etc. Resource centers under EIACP (Environment Information, Awareness and Capacity Building) are also used to spread environmental awareness. The Ministry also organized the 3rd International Blue Sky Clean Air Day as “Swachh Vayu Diwas (“Swachh Vayu Neel Gagan”)” to raise awareness and facilitate measures to improve air quality under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP). Furthermore, a Sensitization cum Review workshop was also organized under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP). This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
