New Delhi: India slipped 13 ranks to figure at the 23rd position in the latest Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), released by the environmental think-tank Germanwatch, on the sidelines of UN climate conference COP30 in Belem, Brazil. India went from a being a “high” performer to a “medium” one in this year’s CCPI due to its coal dependency.The Climate Risk Index 2026, published on Tuesday (November 18), ranks countries based on 14 indicators, divided into four categories – Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use and Climate Policy. The first three positions on the chart remain empty. “No country performs well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating. The first three overall positions therefore remain empty,” the report underscores.The report acknowledges India’s long-term intent on climate action, with a formal strategy and ambitious renewable energy targets, alongside established efficiency programmes. However, it highlights that the national pathway is still anchored in coal. “There is no national coal exit timeline and new coal blocks continue to be auctioned. Fossil subsidies and infrastructure lock-ins persist. The country is among the 10 countries with the largest developed coal reserves, and it currently plans to increase its production,” it notes. “India’s updated NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) commits to 50% non-fossil capacity by 2030 and a 45% emissions-intensity cut compared with 2005, but the experts note that the 2070 net-zero goal is not aligned with 1.5°C pathways,” it adds.The report places key demands on India’s time-bound coal phase-down and eventually a phase-out and redirecting fossil subsidies toward decentralised, community-owned renewable energy.World map of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). Photo: CCPI/GermanwatchMeanwhile, Denmark emerged as the leader of the chart, topping the index with 80.52 points at fourth position. The United Kingdom and Morocco follow, at fifth and sixth ranks, respectively. Meanwhile, the United States, which under Donald Trump’s second presidential term scaled back on a number of climate policies at national and international levels, including the Paris Agreement, has fallen eight positions to the 65th rank with a “very low” performance rating – above only Iran and Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia, at the 67th position, stands at the bottom of the index, followed by Iran at 66th rank. China, which also has a “very low” rating, improved by one spot to 54th position in light of its new NDC that aims to reduce net GHG emissions by 7-10% economy-wide from peak levels by 2035, and with efforts to exceed this goal. Meanwhile, Ukraine was not rated this year due to Russia’s invasion.