Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)

Environmentalism is gradually infiltrating the consciousness of global society, with individual countries now recognizing the need to take care of their environment. One way this has been achieved is through the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). The CCPI ranks each country by their performance on Environmental Sustainability Indicators. CCPI and global climate change are the two most important concepts to demonstrate that climate change is a matter of global concern. CCPI was first established in 2005 following a UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Since then, several improvements have been made with improved awareness of environmental issues.

Climate Change Performance Index:

The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is a global ranking of performance in tackling climate change, based on a range of policies and outcomes. The CCPI ranks countries’ performance in four broad areas: mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology.

The highest-ranked country in CCPI was Denmark with an overall score of 68 out of 100 possible points. The US came second with 66 points while Portugal came third with 64 points. India is in 10th position in the CCPI.

The CCPI is published by the Danish think-tank Climate Change Centre (CCC) and the German think-tank Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC). It is designed to be a comparative measure of performance in tackling climate change.

There are four main areas of performance: mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology. These are ranked on a scale from 0 to 100 points, with each of these scores being weighted equally.

CCPI is primarily based upon five key environmental indicators:

1) Energy consumption (in terms of greenhouse emissions)

2) Production of waste and emissions (in terms of greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances and other pollutants)

3) Protection of biodiversity and habitat.

4) Management of forest and fisheries resources. 

5) Climate change (in terms of reductions in net greenhouse gases, energy use and other indicia).

These five indicators are weighted according to the urgency each presents to the environment. Presenting this weighting system makes the CCPI a perfect tool for assessing a country’s green performance.

The indicators chosen to form part of the CCPI have been selected from a wide range of sources, including international forums such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference and various reports. They are also based on countries’ current policies, with weighting given to policies that promote environmental sustainability.

Global Climate Change:

Global Climate change is a serious threat to stability, development and well-being, particularly to the poor, who have contributed the least to the problem. The challenge is enormous, but there is no alternative. The international community needs comprehensive and integrated approaches that focus on the mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and adaptation to climate change (RCA). Mitigation of GHGs is the most feasible approach to preventing dangerous anthropogenic climate change because it can be achieved gradually and at a relatively low cost. Global Climate Change is a threat to development, poverty and security. Climate change is the largest threat to all people, the poor most of all.

Sustainable Development:

Sustainable Development is a broad concept that combines various elements of development: Environmental (ensuring environmental sustainability), economic, social and cultural (participation and equity). Sustainable Development is a comprehensive approach to sustainable human development. Conventional approaches to development too often ignore the impact of development on the environment and include unacceptable elements. Sustainable Development will require the full development of a global partnership between countries, states, non-state actors and communities for achieving a shared vision for human well-being.

Adaptation:

Adaptation is an important component of vulnerability. It is essential to reach a balance between adaptation and mitigation because it allows us to catch up with climate change by reducing vulnerability in times of crisis (e.g. extreme weather). Adaptive capacity is an ability of a system (human society, natural environment, etc.) to adjust to climate change impacts. Adaptation means different things in different contexts. Every country has different capacities and opportunities to cope with climate change.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

The high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could have a severe impact on Global climate change, the planet’s ecosystems and human health, particularly in the densely populated coastal areas. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is increasing and the global climate is changing. This process is accelerating: by the end of this century, all parts of the world will be affected. Between 1990 and 2008, CO2 has risen by 1.2% per year on average, while CH4 by 0.6% per year, N2O by 0.7% per year; these are much higher than during the period from 1970 to 1990 (around 0.15%).

Conclusion

Global climate change has become a bigger concern than ever before” and warned geopolitics can no longer be considered separately from climate change. Environmentalism is gradually infiltrating the consciousness of global society, with individual countries now recognizing the need to take care of their environment. One way in which this has been achieved is through the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). The CCPI ranks each country by their performance on Environmental Sustainability Indicators. CCPI has seen several improvements with the introduction of renewable energy, sound environmental policies and improved general awareness of environmental issues.