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■ Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023: • India (67.35 points) climbed two spots to bag 8th position out of 63 in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023. The jump can be attributed to India's low emissions and the increasing use of renewable energy. • The report leaves the first three places empty as "no country performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating". It puts Denmark (79.61) in fourth place, followed by Sweden (73.28) and Chile (69.54). • The report was published by three environmental non-governmental organisations that track climate performance of the European Union and 59 countries, which together account for over 92% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world. • The rankings by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network are based on how well the countries are doing to halve their emissions by 2030 -- an essential aspect to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius goal within reach and prevent dangerous climate change. • The CCPI, which has been published since 2005, aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and it enables comparison of individual countries' climate protection efforts and progress. • Using standardised criteria, the CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% weightage), Renewable Energy (20% weightage), Energy Use (20% weightage), and Climate Policy (20% weightage). • China, which is the world's biggest polluter now, fell 13 places to 51st in this year's CCPI and received an overall very-low rating due to plans for new coal-fired power plants. • The US rose by three ranks to the 52nd place. Iran (63rd), Saudi Arabia (62nd) and Kazakhstan (61st) fared the worst. • Saudi Arabia is the country with the highest per capita GHG emissions among the G20 nations. □ India's performance: • India earned a high rating in the GHG Emissions and Energy Use categories, while it got a medium rating in Climate Policy and Renewable Energy sections. • Since the last CCPI, India has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and announced a net-zero target for 2070. • Net zero means achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out. • The NDCs are national plans to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius in accordance with the Paris Agreement. • In August, India released its updated NDCs and now stands committed to reducing emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from the 2005 level. • It aims to achieve about 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. • Despite India's medium rating in the Renewable Energy category, the country has included renewables targets in its updated NDC. Yet, the experts cite missing roadmaps and concrete action plans for achieving the targets. • The report noted that India is among the nine countries responsible for 90% of global coal production and it also plans to increase its oil, gas, and oil production by over 5% by 2030.

🤵🏻‍♀️Digital Shakti 4.0: • The National Commission of Women (NCW) in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and Meta launched the 4th phase of the Digital Shakti campaign on 15th November 2022. • Digital Shakti is the initiative to make women stand up against any inappropriate event they may witness in the online space. It provides training to understand various ways in which privacy can be compromised. • Digital Shakti was launched in 2018. It focused on upskilling 60,000 women from 8 states in India.

■ “In our LiFEtime” campaign launched by India at COP 27: • The Ministry of Environment,  Forest and Climate Change and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), jointly launched the “In Our LiFEtime” campaign at a side event of the COP 27 in Egypt on 14th November 2022. • The campaign aims to encourage youth between the age of 18 to 23 years to become message-bearers of sustainable lifestyles. • The concept of LiFE was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP 26 in Glasgow on 1st November 2021. • Later, on the occasion of World Environment Day, on 5th June 2022, India furthered the vision of LiFE by launching the LiFE Global Movement. • Recently, its logo and tagline was launched in Gujarat in the presence of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. • LiFe envisions a circular economy, which is cultivated by mindful choices. It aims to develop a global network of individuals by nurturing “Pro Planet People” (P3). • India has included LiFE in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to take climate-oriented actions.

■ India's road to 'net zero': At COP-27, India announced its long-term strategy to transition to a 'low emissions' pathway to become carbon neutral by 2070. □ KEY MILESTONES: • The National Hydrogen Mission, launched in 2021, aims to make India a green hydrogen hub. • At least a three-fold increase in nuclear capacity by 2032. • Achieving an ethanol blending target of 20% by 2025. • Maximising the use of electric vehicles, increase public transport. • Increased climate finance to be provided by developed nations. • The long-term strategy aims at keeping global tempera- tures well below 2 degrees Celsius and, ambitiously, 1.5 degrees Celsius by the century-end.