New Delhi: India ranks 28th on the 2027 Climate Change Performance Index out of 68 competing countries, down by five spots from last year. The Index, released Wednesday, compiled annually by NGOs Germanwatch and the New Climate Institute, tracks each country’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate mitigation policies and compares them, producing an annual report that shows each country’s climate progress.
The Index said that none of the 68 countries was ranked in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd positions this year as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP31 convenes in Antalya, Turkey.
“None of the countries achieved positions one to three. No country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change,” said the report.
India got a ‘Medium’ rating on the Index largely because of the mismatch between its renewable energy deployment and its transmission and distribution. The Index acknowledged that India has shown good progress in renewable energy adoption, with non-fossil fuel sources reaching 50 per cent of installed electricity capacity in 2025.
However, installed capacity is not the same thing as energy usage, as the report pointed out. Better grid security, lower transmission failures and distribution losses would enable India to actually use its renewable energy and lower fossil fuel usage, said the report.
The 4th position on the Index went to Denmark, which had ‘medium’ greenhouse gas emissions according to its score, but made up for it with a very high share of renewable energy in current energy use.
Denmark was followed by Lithuania, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Chile, and the Netherlands in the top 10 positions. These were the only countries that received very high ratings in the CCPI, mainly due to their renewable energy policies and strong carbon emissions reduction targets. Denmark reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent over the last 5 years and is on track to meet its target of reducing emissions by 70 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2030.
Similarly, the UK is one of the only G20 countries to make it to the ‘Very High’ rating list, mainly because of its Climate Change Act, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, support for clean energy, and phase out fossil fuel-based electricity generation.
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Low performers this year
Even as Turkey and Australia host the COP31 this year, the CCPI ranked them in the ‘Very Low’ category because of high emissions and low scores in climate policy. Turkey, which is championing the electrification pledge at COP31 — to get countries to increase electricity’s share of energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035 — is still exploring new oil and gas fields and does not have a “legally bound decarbonisation” pathway.
Meanwhile, Australia is labelled as one of the biggest producers of coal and gas in the world, and plans to continue increasing production. It received a ‘Very Low’ rank of 54 this year because of its Future Gas Strategy, which supports gas supply beyond 2050, and slow focus on renewable energy development. However, the report said that the country is trying to focus on Pacific countries’ voices and speak up for them during COP negotiations.
The lowest-ranked countries this year are the United States and Iran, both of which have very high greenhouse gas emissions and are among the world’s largest producers of fossil fuels. While the US got a low rank because of President Donald Trump’s climate change denial withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, Iran did not even ratify the Agreement.
(Edited by Stela Dey)