Carbon Foot Print

The whole world is talking about Global Warming, Climate Change and Carbon Foot Print. The Nobel Prize awarded to R.K.Pachouri and Al Gore has generally increased awareness about these vital issues, it looks like. Last week, when I went to buy vegetables, I found that the cost of lemons had shot up. "What happened ?", I asked. The vegetable seller told, "Things have become very hot nowadays, sir. Lemons are high in demand and short in supply. All because of Global Warming !"
And, North India is reeling under terrible cold. In Srinagar, there is nine feet of snow, we read. Soon, we may have sun rising at 12 in the night and the street lights getting lit just after lunch. One can't say. The children in UK had written that they had floods this year due to climate change. Probably, that is the reason, I am having running nose continuously for two weeks now ...

But, goodthing. Everyone is becoming aware of how much we are 'contributing' to the global catastrophe called Global Warming. And, very poetically, it is called Carbon Foot Print. Each of us are required to put forwad as small a footprint as possible.

So, I was wondering what will be the size of my carbon foot print ! How much am I contributing to the global warming. How am I cheating my grandchildren by borrowing resources from them. We can't say that only rich people or people in rich nations or people in cities are contributing to global warming. (On the other hand, most of them think that forests are being destroyed by poor people and adivasis, and that causes global warming.) But, the fact is each of us are putting our footprint every day in every little thing that we do.

So, I was quite happy to find that there is a tool to calculate the size of our foot print. If we give some details about our family size, energy consumption, a bit about our way of life etc., voila, you get the size of your foot print. It is an online tool and can be accessed at http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx


So, I tried to calculate my carbon footprint. The tool is more tuned to people in western countries. So, there may be some problem in the calculation. For example, when we choose Bus or train travel, they may assume that the bus or train will have 10 or 100 people against the seating capacity of 25 or 500 respectively. But, in India, as you know, we will have 75 or 1200 against the same capacity of bus / train, thereby 'reducing the carbon used by each individual' !

Here is the screenshot of my result. I cheated little bit, when I mentioned that there is no air travel - though I went to UK in 2006 March. You can click on this image to see a larger picture in a new window.


Good to feel that my footprint is about half of Indian average. May be, because we don't have a bike or vehicle personally. We hardly travel, have very few 'carbon consuming' things at home, are living in Gudalur which is 'centrally air conditioned' by God - all these help. I need hot water every day, but. This is one energy eating luxury I probably can do away with. I doubt if I can manage that.

Now, as a tail piece, here is a news :

London : Two Church of England bishops called for Britons to cut back on carbon, rather than alcohol, for the period of Lent.

I get a feeling that this fight on carbon emission will work, because religious tinge is also being given to this. If God says, I am sure, all Britons will follow suit and cut carbon. (Will write about what our Indian Gods want us to cut back. In another post later. I need to consult my mother for the details and fine prints !)