- A Love Story of the Streets with Gutka and Pan Masala Wrappers - March 24, 2023
- NCR Draft Plan 2041: Why are citizens worried and How to Help? - March 18, 2023
- Know How to Calculate your Carbon Footprint in 9 Easy Steps - March 15, 2023
Carbon emissions is the result of ‘careless’ activities carried out by humans in their daily lifestyle that contribute to the rising temperature of the planet. Carbon footprint is simply a quantitative value that helps define your carbon emissions. The increasing population is the root villain behind this phenomenon. Humans have been exploiting natural resources for their greedy needs since the beginning of the industrial era. Combustion of fossil fuels in automobiles, industries, and households paired with agricultural activities and irresponsible choices have skyrocketed the GHGs to the point where the global average temperature has already crossed 1.1 degrees Celsius.
The Paris Agreement brought together countries to keep temperatures, well below 2 degrees Celsius, ideally below 1.5 degrees. On the current trajectory we’re moving on, it’s not long before we cross the boundary line. What follows is predicted to be reckless, horrifying, and unbearable. It’s time we all get conscious of our daily activities. The first step to moving in that direction is to know the impact of your current activities on the environment- your Carbon Footprint. How can you do that? It’s simple. Calculate your carbon footprint on the UMANG app curated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Carbon Calculator on UMANG App
The Government of India launched the app in 2017. The app offers hundreds of central and state government services to people on their mobile phones. One of the services provided in the app is the provision of a ‘Carbon Calculator’ that calculates how much carbon emissions you emit as an individual monthly or yearly. All you have to do to calculate your carbon footprint is to fill in some simple details, and the software will generate the amount of carbon you emit. Sounds interesting, right?
P.S. If it’s worrying you already, it’s time to giddy up and switch to a sustainable lifestyle.
Step-by-Step Guide
Let us guide you step-by-step on the procedure to calculate your carbon footprint. By the way, carbon footprint is simply the human activities you carry out as an individual that release greenhouse gases.
Step 1: Head over to the website www.web.umang.gov.in
Step 2: Register a new account on the website by entering your mobile number.
Enter the OTP received on your mobile number, and your account will be created.
Step 3: Set a four-digit MPIN. Next time you log in to the website, you can use this MPIN to access your account.
Step 4: You’ll find the section of ‘Carbon Neutral’ on the home page of your account. Enter this section. If you don’t find the section there, head over to the ‘Service Directory’ section in the left tab and look for Carbon Neutral under ‘C’.
Step 5: Click on ‘Calculate your Carbon Footprint’ and then answer the questions that follow.
Step 6: You can choose the number of members that live in your family. If you live alone, you can set the bar at 1.
Move on to select the number of vehicles you have at your home and the type of vehicles they are, along with kilometers traveled by them.
Step 7: Enter the number of short/medium/long distance flights you have flown over a year and the kilometers you have traveled by train. If you haven’t traveled by flight or train, you can set the bar to zero.
Step 8: Move on to the House Energy section, where you can choose the mode of cooking and the electricity consumed in a year.
Step 9: In the next section, enter the approximate number of plastic bags you used in a year. (make it easier to calculate by thinking of the number of times you bought groceries or any other item offline in a month and multiply that number by 12) Also, enter the approximate kilograms of solid waste and liquid waste generated in your house.
Click on ‘View Dashboard’ and you’re done!
You can now see your carbon footprint separately generated by your household activities, waste, and transportation monthly or yearly.
What Next
If your overall monthly carbon footprint is well below 2 tons, you’re good to go. If not, you have a long way to go buddy, start taking action today. Travel on foot, be conscious of the brands you buy from, drive that plastic toothbrush out of your home and buy a bamboo toothbrush already. Volunteer for organizations working for environmental conservation and connect with like-minded individuals. Invest in companies and startups that are working to bring about a positive change in the society. You see, it’s no rocket science and it won’t happen overnight. The possibilities are endless and it’s certainly going to require sustained efforts. What matters the most is your faith in the cause and your willing to bring about a change. Are you willing to take the step forward? We’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Point Of View: COP 27
What is COP 27? COP27 takes place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt and marks 30 years…
9 Organic Home Remedies For Skin And Body Care
Ever wondered what women use for their face and body care in the time of…
Step Out On The Streets With These Eco-friendly Footwear!
Fast fashion has gotten to the nerves of all of us. On top of CO2…
E-Waste: Impact On People, Environment and How To Dispose?
E-Waste is basically all the used electronic gadgets and appliances that have been discarded by…
What To Do With Waste Paper? Reusing paper the right way!
Did you know that paper accounts for 26% of the total waste at landfills? Paper…
Shrishti Bajpai 
Archana Patel 
Very Informative blog!
All of us must be conscious about the carbon footprint we are leaving on some level.
Thank you. Yes indeed, we all should be!