Carbonet.in

An initiative to reduce carbon footprints through individual contributions.

Getting Started.

Digital devices and services are an integral part of our lives. It’s hard to imagine a life without smartphones, search engines, apps, and having a huge selection of music and movies at our fingertips. All of these things make our lives so much easier. However, you may be surprised to discover that the data that you’re sending and receiving all over the globe actually carries rather heavy baggage: an individual’s online activities are responsible for producing 414 kgs of carbon dioxide every year.

Carbonet.in seeks to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of using digital devices and the internet.

How it works: Visit the "Calculator" section on our page and answer a few questions. We perform a few calculations based on data gathered from resources to estimate your carbon footprint from digital device usage. You are always invited to contribute!

This page was created to serve as a platform for people to access our calculator, and to accumulate all resources for people who might be interested in knowing more.

The Environmental Impact of Going Online

Each search query emits around 1.45 grams of CO2. If we use a search engine to make around 50 search queries per day, this produces a huge 26 kilograms of CO2 per year. This may not sound like a lot at the individual level but a single search query billions of times around the globe adds up to leave an environmental impact that is difficult to ignore. Streaming a one hour show on Netflix consumes about 300 watt hours of electric energy. This is equivalent to driving one kilometre in a small car. Collectively, the average CO2 consumption of streamed online video is more than 300 million tons per year. This is the same as emitted by the whole of Spain in a year.

Our use of digital technologies contributes to 3.7% of global CO2 emissions, which has a bigger impact on global warming than the entire aviation industry.

An improved understanding of impacts is necessary to make solutions for accessible and solutions more unambiguous.

Your Carbon Footprint Calculator

We use a very simple algorithm and average data collected from research papers, websites, and books to estimate your footprint.

You should know that this estimation is very rough since a lot of factors cannot be accounted for. More on this later!











Approximately how many total emails do you send AND receive per day?
(We have pre-checked an option for people like us)

 
   
   
Calculate your footprint!

Additional Info

We have a lot more in store for you in addition to our calculator!

We have partnered with OnlyPlanet.in on their goal to reach 1 million people(!) in 2 years. Visit OnlyPlanet.in here!

We also have a 30 day challenge where we provide you with simple tasks everyday to reduce your footprint. Ironically (or is it really?), most of the tasks ask you to stop doing a certain thing, rather than do something. Register using this link to take part in our 30 day challenge, and be proud of yourself and your contribution to a better Earth!

We also post carbon literacy videos, along with all updates on what we will doing in the future on our Instagram page. Follow us using this link to know more.

I guess this has been too long of a ride.
One final thing.
We have a section for our featured blogs, where we discuss interdisciplinary fields with the environment, and podcasts, where we interview climate change and sustainability experts.
Just scroll down a bit more and you'll find our resources.

Earth Overshoot Day 2021

By Dev Sajnani;
1 minute read

×

Ever heard of the Earth Overshoot day? We passed Earth Overshoot Day 2021 on July 29.

Many might not know what this situation actually means. In simple terms, Earth Overshoot day is that day of the year when we, as humans, use up the quantity of resources our planet is able to replenish in a year. To make it even easier to understand, assume that the Earth can produce 500 units of resources in one year; then that means we have consumed all 500 units of those replenished resources on July 29. The rest of the year, till December 31 we're going to use up resources already in stock and, thus, will have a lower stock of resources to start with in 2022.

It might be quite simple to deduce, now, that to keep the Earth suitable and habitable for future generations, we must work to have the Earth Overshoot Day on December 31 each year so that resources are not consumed at a rate faster than at which they replenish. Even if we cannot get a net positive change in the quantity of resources, the least we can do is keep it at 0 and not let existing stocks be reduced.

Find out more about the Earth Overshoot Day here.

Carbon Taxation

By Dev Sajnani;
1 minute read

×

If it isn’t already obvious from the name, this taxes firms based on their carbon emissions. Higher emissions mean higher taxes, which could encourage firms to reduce emissions. However, companies look at relative costs - for example, if these taxes aren’t charged at a high rate (which they currently aren’t), firms would know it’s cheaper to pay the tax rather than invest a lot in a new production method. The reason taxes rates aren’t high, even though we know how big of a problem pollution is, is that this harm isn’t what you’d exactly call ‘quantifiable’. Calculating the costs of these emissions is difficult due to a lot of external impacts; add to this the problem of estimating the number of firms who are going to pay the tax. The biggest problem, though, is neither of these. It’s to estimate how many units of CO2e a firm releases. It is quite clear that the amount of tax that needs to be paid by a firm is extremely cumbersome to estimate making this system extremely inefficient.

Carbon Markets

By Dev Sajnani;
1.5 minute read

×

This is a relatively new system developed after people realized the problem with carbon taxes; you might have heard of the cap-and-trade. This comprises carbon credits and carbon offsets. Carbon credits basically show ownership to one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, meaning that you will be allowed to release pollutants equivalent to one metric ton of CO2e. In this way, carbon credits can be bought or sold in the market. If someone pollutes less than their credits allow them to, they can sell those extra credits off while those who wish to pollute more can buy these credits. However, a similar problem arises of how to quantify how much pollutant is safe to release as the cap. Another problem would be how many credits to allot to one firm, as there is a need to take into account a lot of factors such as market size, the kind of goods the firm produces, the total pollution in the cycle of production, among other factors. Carbon offsets on the other hand entail buying offsets from third parties that work on projects to save the planet. Buying an offset for one metric ton of CO2e could mean supporting a project that plants trees or sets up renewable energy sources. Carbon offsets generate carbon credits, like the total amount of pollutants in the atmosphere being reduced thanks to these carbon offset projects, giving a firm the ability to release one more metric ton of CO2e. It is quite easy to see how carbon markets might be more likely to be successful than carbon taxes as they can actively earn more money by selling off their extra credits by polluting less.

Sustainability in the Textile Industry

By Prisha Poddar;
1 minute read

×

If we analyse the textile industry using the triple bottom line approach,it falls quite short. Categorised by natural resource depletion, rapid buying cycles, massive carbon emissions and exploitation of labour, the textile industry faces various sustainability challenges.
Therefore it is important to integrate sustainable practises into the fashion supply chain now more than ever to minimise its impact on the planet and on society. Stakeholders such as designers can make clothes that are timeless to slow down buying cycles so that consumers can make a switch from fast fashion and reduce their purchasing frequency.Similarly, factory owners can ensure the proper disposal of toxic waste after manufacturing to make sure it doesn’t end up in landfills. Local sourcing of materials can also reduce the environmental costs of transportation by reducing the amount of Co2 emissions generated. Such steps ,if implemented on a large scale, are sure to make the fashion industry more green and since clothing is an integral aspect of society, the textile industry is a good choice to develop a eco friendly mindset.