Mumbai-specific carbon footprint calculator, a first-of-its-kind, was launched by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s Mumbai Metropolitan Region- Environment Improvement Society (MMR-EIS) on the eve of World Environment Day, celebrated world-wide on June 5.
The calculator factors in the carbon footprint generated by travelling on local trains, autorickshaws, as well as electricity bills, based on the different service providers available only in Mumbai Metropolitan Region(MMR) that comprises municipal corporations of Greater Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai and Ulhasnagar.
“We wanted a localised resource kit for climate change that takes into account Mumbai’s micro-climate and includes information that people in MMR can use to reduce their carbon footprint. While there is ample information on climate change available, we wanted something more relevant for Mumbaikars, so we took up this project,” said Prasad Shetty, secretary of MMR-EIS.
The calculator, conceived and developed by Environmental Management Centre LLP, was part of the Climate Change-related Resources and Tools (CCRT) kit launched on Wednesday, along with the website, at Maharashtra Nature Park in Dharavi.
The calculation is done by seeking information through 10 rounds that determine ones use of vehicles, consumption of LPG or piped gas, travel time on various vehicles and other factors.
The result gives an individual’s consumption, as compared to the value of the average Indian user and suggests how to reduce carbon footprint. The CCRT kit, accessible for free through the website http://www.mmr-ccrt.org.in consists fact sheets on climate change parameters and information related to MMR. It has been compiled from various authentic sources and studies conducted in the past decade, as well as booklets on the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and the MMR.
Besides this, the website also contains presentations, posters and youth resource guides dedicated to climate change. For children, the website also has a special calculator for carbon footprint and activity booklets.
“Our resources will help in planning and changing people’s lifestyles. We are the only ones who have incorporated Mumbai-specific things like travel by local trains used by most people in the city. The content on our website is also available in Marathi,” said Shantanu Roy, senior vice-president of Environmental Management Centre LLP.
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