India's efforts in mitigating global warming laudable

India remains in the top 10 for the second year in a row in the latest global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) released in Germany. The biggest current emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) China figures at 33rd rank while the largest historical polluter, the USA, appears at the bottom of the list. What is significant is India's performance in this regard. Though India slid one position down from ninth in 2019 to 10th this year, the passage of the country in inching towards the goals has been remarkable.

The country ranked 31st in 2014. Globally, none of the countries assessed for the annual CCPI report are, however, on the path to meet their Paris Agreement commitment of keeping global warming increase below 2 degree Celsius by the end of the century and actually to make efforts to restrict it to 1.5 degree Celsius rise. The performance of 57 countries and the European Union (EU as a single entity) were taken into account to assess their performance in four types i.e., Green House Gases (GHG) emissions (40 per cent), renewable energy (20 per cent), energy use (20 per cent) and climate policy (20 per cent). In all, these countries emit about 90 per cent of GHG emissions.

Civil society representatives from Climate Action Network reminded all governments, particularly rich countries and major emitters, that the commemoration of the Paris Agreement (that was on December 12) must honour the promises made five years ago through ambitious new national climate targets by the end of this year. The 'ratchet mechanism'- updated climate targets every five years- is the heart of the Paris Agreement.

As the 2020 deadline looms for countries to submit updated nationally determined contributions, a recent UN report shows that the emissions gap continues to remain dangerously wide. "The time for implementing new targets is now, not next year", they reminded. Mobilising efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C must define the post-Covid19 era, with recovery plans aligned with a zero-carbon future. Governments cannot address the effects of the coronavirus pandemic by digging the world deeper into the climate crisis.

The largest economies have pledged over $250 billion this year to fossil fuels through their Covid19 economic recovery policies. This is an alarming trend that must be swiftly reversed to make sure public money goes towards a just and sustainable future. While net-zero 2050 pledges offer a promising vision, without detailed and ambitious 2030 climate targets based on fair share and equity, they risk becoming a smokescreen for inaction.

Finance for adaptation and finance loss and damage are key pillars for driving climate ambition, building resilience to fight the climate crisis and achieving climate justice. Efforts to bridge the shortfall in the $100 billion annually promised by 2020 must now be reinforced by developed countries with a post-2025 climate finance plan that meets the needs of the most vulnerable communities. As Li Shuo, senior global policy advisor, Greenpeace East Asia, puts it, "it is up to the countries to fulfil their promise to enhance ambition. The majority of them are nowhere near where they should be... We have one planet, five years, and countless lives..." and reach our goals.