There has been an invisible ongoing war.
The war that our planet is consistently fighting against all the odds: the unserving imbalances of its forces, the pressure that fails to unsettle within its womb, the desires of covetous humans and at times with its own deciding spirit.
Either to keep fighting to sustain or let everything run at even faster pace to liberate itself of this selfish servitude. The Earth has been quietly fighting all along but it is not alone now.
Humans are beginning to understand about their increased vulnerability to the hidden and disastrous forces of Nature.
In one way or the other, we are striving to use our strengths in the forms of research, innovation and technology, to prevent their mother Earth from entering such a phase that we won’t be able to see.
Although we began acknowledging such degradation with Stockholm conference and then UNEP(UN Environment Program), but we never turned back and we have so moved forth.
Marrakesh treaty, Copenhagen Accord, Paris climate treaty and what not.
We have taken this fight beyond a threshold for anyone to declare the Climate Emergency a myth. But all these attempts seem to be on Macroscopic level, deriving from community efforts.
A new attempt in the bundle of individual efforts to gain traction in Environmental justice, is calculating the ability to calculate Carbon emissions by an individual as well as suggestions are made to reduce an individual carbon emissions.
There have been plethora of relevant mobile applications across the globe. Few prominent ones taking us towards sustainable lifestyle include:
1. Capture
2. Map My Emissions– includes calculate emissions for each leg
3. For Good
4. UN Carbon Footprint Calculator
6. CoGo app– Being used by the UK Government and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in their calculators.
When India is walking towards an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and we are promoting indigenous goods in every arena.
Chandigarh became the first state or Union Territory in India to launch Carbon Watch, mobile application to assess the carbon footprint of an individual.
The app has been rolled out by the Department of Environment and Forest of Chandigarh.
The short term aim depends on the feedback received from the residents of Chandigarh but it can be used by anyone in the country as long as they have an Android smartphone to install the app.
Based on location criteria, the app currently divides users in two categories –
1. Chandigarh- To be used by Environment Department
2. Out of Chandigarh- To be for consumer awareness.
Carbon Footprint and How much to limit?
According to WHO, Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organisation or community.
It can be measured as tonnes of CO2 emitted per year.
The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons(one of the highest). The global average is closer to 4 tons.
To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop under 2 tons by 2050.
How does Carbon Watch works:
Upon downloading the application, they will need to fill details encircling the four parameters-
1. Water- the level of water consumption.
2. Energy- electricity units consumed every month or usage of solar energy.
3. Waste Generation– about any waste generation by the person and family.
4. Transport (Vehicular movement)– mode of transport being used ke. four wheeler, two-wheeler or bicycle.
In each category, an individual will be required to inform about ones respective consumptions and waste generations.
With the mentioned information, the mobile application will automatically calculate the carbon footprint of the individual.
The application will also provide information such as the national and world average of the emission, and the individual’s level of emission generation and suggest measures to balance the Carbon emissions.
While it is important to introspect one’s actions now and then to lead a balanced and happy life, if one is passionate about our ailing planet to begin healing, why not calculate one’s negative impact on the planet.
After all, nothing in this world is ever completely wrong or incorrigible.