India has fallen from a high to a medium performer, dropping 13 places to rank 23rd in the new Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), co-published by German watch, New Climate Institute, and CAN International. CCPI experts attribute the slide primarily to the country’s continued dependence on coal and the absence of a clear national exit plan.
Despite recent progress, the CCPI notes that India’s national emissions pathway remains anchored in coal, with no timeline for phasing it out. New coal blocks continue to be auctioned, fossil subsidies persist, and significant infrastructure lock-ins remain. India is among the 10 countries with the largest developed coal reserves and is still planning to expand production. The index also flags uneven and weak carbon price signals.
Renewables show mixed performance. As of September 2025, rooftop solar capacity reached 20.8 GW—nearly 9 GW added in just a year—accounting for about 17% of total solar installations. Yet, CCPI experts criticise the socio-environmental impacts of large grid-scale renewable projects, including land conflicts, displacement, water stress, and instances of human rights violations and ecosystem degradation arising from top-down project siting.
India’s NDC targets—50% non-fossil capacity by 2030 and a 45% reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 levels—are acknowledged in the CCPI. However, experts highlight that the 2070 net-zero goal is misaligned with 1.5°C pathways. Missing interim milestones for 2035 and 2040, gaps in sectoral trajectories, weak state-level accountability, and limited consultation with civil society also weigh on the assessment.
The CCPI outlines several recommendations for India’s improvement. These include establishing a time-bound coal phase-down and phase-out plan, announcing a no-new-coal date, and setting a peak coal year. Experts urge redirecting fossil subsidies toward decentralised, community-owned renewable energy and strengthening environmental and social safeguards for renewable project siting. They also call for coherent biomass accounting, binding fossil phase-out roadmaps across transport, buildings, and industry, and setting interim sectoral and state-level milestones for 2035 and 2040. Ensuring a just transition—co-designed with affected regions—and expanding risk-buffer tools for smallholders, women, and vulnerable communities are emphasised as CCPI priorities.
Even as it drops in the rankings, the CCPI acknowledges India’s long-term climate intent, reflected in its formal strategy, ambitious renewable energy targets, and longstanding efficiency programmes such as BEE’s appliance labelling (since 2006) and the PAT mechanism (since 2012). India has accelerated renewable energy deployment through competitive auctions and supportive fiscal measures, recording high participation and continuously declining tariffs. In 2025, the country announced that it had achieved 50% of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources—five years ahead of its 2030 NDC target. CCPI experts also positively note India’s ongoing work on a green finance taxonomy and a national carbon market framework.
