PUNE: Lakhs of vehicles on the road and high consumption of electricity have increased the city’s
carbon footprint, the first comparative assessment of two reports, five years apart, shows.
Both studies were initiated by the
Pune Municipal Corporation and the comparative findings were reported in the Environment Status Report for 2017-18 which was made public on Wednesday. The emissions have a direct impact on citizens when they inhale more and more carbon, the report added.
A total of 60 lakh tonne CO2e, a standard unit that measures carbon footprints, was added in the assessment year 2016-17 alone. The first survey had reported that Pune produced 1.46 tonne
carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per capita. It has now gone up to 1.64 tonne CO2e, the report said.
“The increase in the carbon footprint indicates rapid urbanisation. There is reason to worry as it affects the environment,” Mangesh Dighe, environment officer of PMC, said.
The residential sector accounted for the highest carbon emission of around 19 lakh tonne followed by the transport sector which contributed around 13 lakh tonne CO2e.
The first survey was done by The Energy and Resources Institute (
TERI) in 2010-11.
ESR raises worries about carbon footprint
The International Council for Local Environment Initiatives took up the second survey in 2016-17 based on the guidelines set by Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change and United National Environment Programme. The carbon footprint should be considered as a parameter for stress imposed on the city’s infrastructure and its environment. Future infrastructural and housing projects should be planned after considering the adverse impact of increased carbon in the city’s air, Dighe said.
