This programme considers five main sources of Carbon emissions - food, electricity, cooking gas, transportation and waste processing. The details of the calculation are given below.
Food
The average Indian diet consists of 416 grams of grain, 450g vegetables and fruits, 235g dairy and eggs, 30g meat and 130g sugar and fat. Approximate Carbon costs are 2 kilogram of CO2 per kg of rice, 1 kg CO2 / kg of vegetables, 2 kg CO2 / kg of soya, 5 kg CO2 / kg of dairy / eggs, 8 kg CO2 / kg of meat and 1 kg CO2 / kg of sugar / fat. We assume that vegetarians replace the dairy, eggs and meat with vegetables or soya-based alternatives. This gives an annual Carbon footprint of around 709 for a pure vegetarian diet, 999 for a lacto-vegetarian diet and 1032 for a non-vegetarian diet. We add 250g of CO2 for each time food is ordered or eaten outside, due to the emissions from the delivery vehicle (80 g / km for an average of 3 km).
Electricity
The Carbon cost of electricity for India is about 630 g / kWh. Karnataka produces 67% of electricity from renewable sources compared to the national average of 23%. Therefore, we estimate the Carbon cost of electricity for Karnataka as about 300 g / kWh.
Cooking Gas
Gas cylinders used in India contain about 14.2 kg of LPG. Assuming complete combustion, a methyl group (weighing 14 Daltons) is converted into a molecule of carbon dioxide (44 Da). So a cylinder of gas would produce 14.2 x 44 / 12 = 45 kg of carbon dioxide.
Transportation
Carbon dioxide emissions for various modes of transport are, in grams per kilometre:-
- Rail - 10
- Metro - 30
- Diesel Bus - 80
- Bike / Scooter - 80
- Electric car - 100 (only 50 is counted, assuming the other half is covered under electricity)
- Petrol / Diesel car - 240
A short-distance flight produces about 100 kg of carbon dioxide, and a long-distance flight produces twice that. Note that a much greater quantity of fuel is needed for take-off and landing compared to steady gliding, which is why distance is not taken into account here.
Waste Processing
If waste is not recycled, it can produce greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Assuming that an individual produces 50 grams of waste a day, and if every kilogram of waste results in 8 kg of carbon dioxide, we get around 150 kg of emissions per year.
Final Formula
The amount of carbon dioxide produced under each of the categories above is calculated and added. Electricity and cooking gas are measured per family, and divided by the size of the family. We add 100 kilograms of carbon dioxide for any other sources not covered here.
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