Project Title - Carbon Footprint Estimation of a Hostel

(A Case Study of SEN Hall of IIEST Shibpur)

B. Tech Project/Part – I (CE4191)

Submitted By
Name: Satya Pratap
Enrollment No: 2020CEB102
Semester:7th Bx
Department of Civil Engineering, IIEST SHIBPUR

Under the guidance of

Prof. Anirban Gupta

December 2023

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 Acknowledgement

I want to express my gratitude to Prof. Anirban Gupta, who gave me

the golden opportunity to pursue [Link] Project under his guidance.
Despite his busy schedule, this project was only possible with his
active supervision throughout the session.
Your useful advice and suggestions were really helpful to me during
the project’s completion. In this aspect, I am eternally grateful to
you.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapters Chapters Pg. No.

Abstract 4
1 Climate Change & Greenhouse Gases 5-10
2 Present Geographical Environmental Condition 11-14
3 Introduction to Carbon Footprint (CF) 15-18
4 Setting Organizational & Operational Boundaries 19-20
5 Methodology for Carbon Footprint Calculations 21-23
6 Data Collection for Scope 1, 2, 3 24-28
7 Data Analysis & Calculation 29-30
8 Plan for Future Work 31
Bibliography 32

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 Abstract
Climate change is a global problem. Greenhouse gases are prime reason for climate change.
Calculation of carbon footprint can give an estimate about Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions.
In order to estimate the Carbon Footprint (CF) of the hostel, all major sources of emission of
greenhouses gases need to be considered. A case study of SEN Hall (a hostel) of IIEST Shibpur
is done. A systematic approach for calculating carbon footprint is done as per GHG protocols.
The greenhouse gases emissions broadly divided in three scopes and emissions from scope 1, 2
& 3 are encountered. Using pre-estimated unit emissions of various items has be used and
detailed analysis is done. Taking reference from GHG Protocol suitable calculation tool is
adopted. Estimating carbon footprint helps to set future targets and minimize the carbon footprint
by adopting suitable practices, equipments and alternative methods. With positive hope “What
gets Measured gets Managed” this carbon footprint estimation can help to reduce GHG
emissions stepping to sustainable development. Reduction in per capita carbon footprint remarks
the reduction in greenhouse gases and thus the prime cause of climate change can be minimized.
As a result the worse effect of climate change can be escaped.

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 Chapter 1. Climate Change & Greenhouse Gases

1.1 What is Climate Change?

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can
be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s,
human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of
fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that
act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.

The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane.
These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example.
clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. Agriculture, oil and gas
operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings,
agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases.

1.1.1 Causes of Climate Change

(Based on various UN sources)

Generating power
Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels causes a large chunk of global emissions.
Most electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil, or gas, which produces carbon dioxide and
nitrous oxide – powerful greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat.
Globally, a bit more than a quarter of electricity comes from wind, solar and other renewable
sources which, as opposed to fossil fuels, emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the
air.

Manufacturing goods
Manufacturing and industry produce emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels to produce
energy for making things like cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastics, clothes, and other goods.
Mining and other industrial processes also release gases, as does the construction industry.
Machines used in the manufacturing process often run on coal, oil, or gas; and some materials,
like plastics, are made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels. The manufacturing industry is
one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Cutting down forests

Cutting down forests to create farms or pastures, or for other reasons, causes emissions, since
trees, when they are cut, release the carbon they have been storing. Each year approximately 12
million hectares of forest are destroyed. Since forests absorb carbon dioxide, destroying them
also limits nature’s ability to keep emissions out of the atmosphere. Deforestation, together with

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agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse
gas emissions.

Using transportation
Most cars, trucks, ships, and planes run on fossil fuels. That makes transportation a major
contributor of greenhouse gases, especially carbon-dioxide emissions. Road vehicles account for
the largest part, due to the combustion of petroleum-based products, like gasoline, in internal
combustion engines. But emissions from ships and planes continue to grow. Transport accounts
for nearly one quarter of global energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions. And trends point to a
significant increase in energy use for transport over the coming years.

Producing food
Producing food causes emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases in
various ways, including through deforestation and clearing of land for agriculture and grazing,
digestion by cows and sheep, the production and use of fertilizers and manure for growing crops,
and the use of energy to run farm equipment or fishing boats, usually with fossil fuels. All this
makes food production a major contributor to climate change. And greenhouse gas emissions
also come from packaging and distributing food.

Powering buildings
Globally, residential and commercial buildings consume over half of all electricity. As they
continue to draw on coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and cooling, they emit significant
quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing energy demand for heating and cooling, with
rising air-conditioner ownership, as well as increased electricity consumption for lighting,
appliances, and connected devices, has contributed to a rise in energy-related carbon-dioxide
emissions from buildings in recent years.

Consuming too much

Your home and use of power, how you move around, what you eat and how much you throw
away all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. So, does the consumption of goods such as
clothing, electronics, and plastics. A large chunk of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked
to private households. Our lifestyles have a profound impact on our planet. The wealthiest bear
the greatest responsibility: the richest 1 per cent of the global population combined account for
more greenhouse gas emissions than the poorest 50 per cent.

1.1.2 Effects of Climate Change

(Based on various UN sources)

Hotter temperatures
As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does the global surface temperature. The last decade,
2011-2020, is the warmest on record. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the

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previous one. Nearly all land areas are seeing more hot days and heat waves. Higher
temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult. Wildfires
start more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are hotter. Temperatures in the Arctic
have warmed at least twice as fast as the global average.

More severe storms

Destructive storms have become more intense and more frequent in many regions. As
temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, which exacerbates extreme rainfall and flooding,
causing more destructive storms. The frequency and extent of tropical storms is also affected by
the warming ocean. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons feed on warm waters at the ocean
surface. Such storms often destroy homes and communities, causing deaths and huge economic
losses.

Increased drought
Climate change is changing water availability, making it scarcer in more regions. Global
warming exacerbates water shortages in already water-stressed regions and is leading to an
increased risk of agricultural droughts affecting crops, and ecological droughts increasing the
vulnerability of ecosystems. Droughts can also stir destructive sand and dust storms that can
move billions of tons of sand across continents. Deserts are expanding, reducing land for
growing food. Many people now face the threat of not having enough water on a regular basis.

A warming, rising ocean

The ocean soaks up most of the heat from global warming. The rate at which the ocean is
warming strongly increased over the past two decades, across all depths of the ocean. As the
ocean warms, its volume increases since water expands as it gets warmer. Melting ice sheets also
cause sea levels to rise, threatening coastal and island communities. In addition, the ocean
absorbs carbon dioxide, keeping it from the atmosphere. But more carbon dioxide makes the
ocean more acidic, which endangers marine life and coral reefs.

Loss of species
Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean. These risks
increase as temperatures climb. Exacerbated by climate change, the world is losing species at a
rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history. One million species
are at risk of becoming extinct within the next few decades. Forest fires, extreme weather, and
invasive pests and diseases are among many threats related to climate change. Some species will
be able to relocate and survive, but others will not.

Not enough food

Changes in the climate and increases in extreme weather events are among the reasons behind a
global rise in hunger and poor nutrition. Fisheries, crops, and livestock may be destroyed or
become less productive. With the ocean becoming more acidic, marine resources that feed

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billions of people are at risk. Changes in snow and ice cover in many Arctic regions have
disrupted food supplies from herding, hunting, and fishing. Heat stress can diminish water and
grasslands for grazing, causing declining crop yields and affecting livestock.

More health risks

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Climate impacts are already
harming health, through air pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement,
pressures on mental health, and increased hunger and poor nutrition in places where people
cannot grow or find sufficient food. Every year, environmental factors take the lives of around
13 million people. Changing weather patterns are expanding diseases, and extreme weather
events increase deaths and make it difficult for health care systems to keep up.

Poverty and displacement

Climate change increases the factors that put and keep people in poverty. Floods may sweep
away urban slums, destroying homes and livelihoods. Heat can make it difficult to work in
outdoor jobs. Water scarcity may affect crops. Over the past decade (2010–2019), weather-
related events displaced an estimated 23.1 million people on average each year, leaving many
more vulnerable to poverty. Most refugees come from countries that are most vulnerable and
least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Humans are responsible for global warming

Climate scientists have showed that humans are responsible for virtually all global heating over
the last 200 years. Human activities like the ones mentioned above are causing greenhouse gases
that are warming the world faster than at any time in at least the last two thousand years.
The average temperature of the Earth’s surface is now about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late
1800s (before the industrial revolution) and warmer than at any time in the last 100,000 years.
The last decade (2011-2020) was the warmest on record, and each of the last four decades has
been warmer than any previous decade since 1850.
The consequences of climate change now include, among others, intense droughts, water
scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and
declining biodiversity.

1.2 What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is the process through which heat is trapped near Earth's surface by
substances known as 'greenhouse gases.' Imagine these gases as a cozy blanket enveloping our
planet, helping to maintain a warmer temperature than it would have otherwise. Greenhouse
gases consist of carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and water
vapor. Water vapor, which reacts to temperature changes, is referred to as a 'feedback', because it
amplifies the effect of forces that initially caused the warming.

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Scientists have determined that carbon dioxide plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability of
Earth's atmosphere. If carbon dioxide were removed, the terrestrial greenhouse effect would
collapse, and Earth's surface temperature would drop significantly, by approximately 33°C
(59°F).

Greenhouse gases are part of Earth's atmosphere. This is why Earth is often called the
'Goldilocks' planet – its conditions are just right, not too hot or too cold, allowing life to thrive.
Part of what makes Earth so amenable is its natural greenhouse effect, which maintains an
average temperature of 15 °C (59 °F). However, in the last century, human activities, primarily
from burning fossil fuels that have led to the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere, have disrupted Earth's energy balance. This has led to an increase in
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ocean. The level of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere
has been rising consistently for decades and traps extra heat near Earth's surface, causing
temperatures to rise.

1.2.1 Greenhouse Gases and Their Sources

Some greenhouse gases are emitted exclusively from human activities (e.g., synthetic
halocarbons). Others occur naturally but are found at elevated levels due to human inputs (e.g.,
carbon dioxide). Anthropogenic sources result from energy-related activities (e.g., combustion of
fossil fuels in the electric utility and transportation sectors), agriculture, land-use change, waste
management and treatment activities, and various industrial processes. Major greenhouse gases
include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and various synthetic chemicals.

Carbon dioxide is widely reported as the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas because
it currently accounts for the greatest portion of the warming associated with human activities.
Carbon dioxide occurs naturally as part of the global carbon cycle, but human activities have
increased atmospheric loadings through combustion of fossil fuels and other emissions sources.
Natural sinks that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (e.g., oceans, plants) help regulate
carbon dioxide concentrations, but human activities can disturb these processes (e.g.,
deforestation) or enhance them.

Methane comes from many sources, including human activities such as coal mining, natural gas
production and distribution, waste decomposition in landfills, and digestive processes in
livestock and agriculture. Natural sources of methane include wetlands and termite mounds.
Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during
combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.

Various synthetic chemicals, such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur

hexafluoride, and other synthetic gases, are released as a result of commercial, industrial, or
household uses.

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Many other gases are known to trap heat in the atmosphere. Examples include water vapor,
which occurs naturally as part of the global water cycle, and ozone, which occurs naturally in the
stratosphere and is found in the troposphere largely due to human activities.

Each greenhouse gas has a different ability to absorb heat in the atmosphere, due to differences
in the amount and type of energy that it absorbs, and a different “lifetime,” or time that it remains
in the atmosphere.

For example, it would take thousands of molecules of carbon dioxide to equal the warming effect
of a single molecule of sulfur hexafluoride—the most potent greenhouse gas—in terms of ability
to absorb heat, as evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).3 To
facilitate comparisons between gases that have substantially different properties, the IPCC has
developed a set of metrics called “global warming potentials.”

Every increase in global warming matters

In a series of UN reports, thousands of scientists and government reviewers agreed that limiting
global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C would help us avoid the worst climate impacts and
maintain a livable climate. Yet policies currently in place point to a 2.8°C temperature rise by the
end of the century.

1.3 Our changing climate

We see climate change affecting our planet from pole to pole. NOAA monitors global climate
data and here are some of the changes NOAA has recorded.
 Global temperatures rose about 1.8°F (1°C) from 1901 to 2020.
 Sea level rise has accelerated from 1.7 mm/year throughout most of the twentieth century
to 3.2 mm/year since 1993.
 Glaciers are shrinking: average thickness of 30 well-studied glaciers has decreased more
than 60 feet since 1980.
 The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic at the end of summer has shrunk by about 40%
since 1979.
 The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 25% since 1958, and by
about 40% since the Industrial Revolution.
 Snow is melting earlier compared to long-term averages

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Chapter 2. Present Geographical and Climatic Condition of Howrah

2.1 Geographical
Howrah is positioned at the western bank of Hooghly river. It is situated at 22.59° N and 88.31°
E. The average elevation of this city is 39 feet or 12 meters. The entire district of Howrah is
extended over 1467 square kilometers of area. Howrah district is surrounded in its north by
Shrirampur and Arambagh sub-divisions of the Hooghly district.
The average wind speed in Howrah is 2.6 m/s with the maximum wind speed of around 10 m/s.
The average ambient temperature remains 26.1°C, varies from 8.2°C to 37.6°C. The average
relative humidity remains around 76.7%, varies from 22.1% to 97.6%. The station pressure
varies from 1006 hPa to 990 hPa, averaged around 1019 hPa. Windrose of Howrah shows that
predominantly wind blow from the S - about 16.45% of all wind directions.

2.2 Climatic
In order to discuss about climatic condition reference for mean yearly temperature and mean
yearly precipitation are shown

Figure 1. Mean Yearly Temperature Trend from 1979-2021

The top graph shows an estimate of the mean annual temperature for the larger region of Howrah. The dashed blue line is the linear climate change trend. If the trend
line is going up from left to right, the temperature trend is positive and it is getting warmer in Howrah due to climate change. If it is horizontal, no clear trend is seen,
and if it is going down, conditions in Howrah are becoming colder over time.
In the lower part the graph shows the so called warming stripes. Each coloured stripe represents the average temperature for a year - blue for colder and red for
warmer years.
(Source: [Link])

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 Figure 2. Mean Yearly Precipitation Trend from 1979-2021

The top graph shows an estimate of mean total precipitation for the larger region of Howrah. The dashed blue line is the linear climate change
trend. If the trend line is going up from left to right, the precipitation trend is positive and it is getting wetter in Howrah due to climate change. If
it is horizontal, no clear trend is seen and if it is going down conditions are becoming drier in Howrah over time.

In the lower part the graph shows the so called precipitation stripes. Each coloured stripe represents the total precipitation of a year - green for
wetter and brown for drier years

(Source: [Link])

Figure 3 Monthly Anomalies of Temperature and Precipitation

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The top Figure 3 graph shows the temperature anomaly for every month since 1979 up to 2023.
The anomaly tells you by how much it was warmer or colder than the 30-year climate mean of
1980-2010. Thus, red months were warmer and blue months were colder than normal. In most
locations, you will find an increase of warmer months over the years, which reflects the global
warming associated with climate change.

The lower graph shows the precipitation anomaly for every month since 1979 up to now. The
anomaly tells you if a month had more or less precipitation than the 30-year climate mean of
1980-2010. Thus, green months were wetter and brown months were drier than normal.

Climate Change relation with

Precipitation
Precipitation can have wide-ranging effects on human well-being and ecosystems. Rainfall,
snowfall, and the timing of snowmelt can all affect the amount of surface water and groundwater
available for drinking, irrigation, and industry. They also influence river flooding and can
determine what types of animals and plants (including crops) can survive in a particular place.
Changes in precipitation can disrupt a wide range of natural processes, particularly if these
changes occur more quickly than plant and animal species can adapt.

As average temperatures at the Earth’s surface rise, more evaporation occurs, which, in turn,
increases overall precipitation. Therefore, a warming climate is expected to increase precipitation
in many areas. Just as precipitation patterns vary across the world, however, so do the
precipitation effects of climate change. By shifting the wind patterns and ocean currents that
drive the world’s climate system, climate change will also cause some areas to experience
decreased precipitation. In addition, higher temperatures lead to more evaporation, so increased
precipitation will not necessarily increase the amount of water available for drinking, irrigation,
and industry.

Changes in temperature
Global warming affects all parts of Earth's climate system. Global surface temperatures have
risen by 1.1 °C (2.0 °F). Scientists say they will rise further in the future. The changes in climate
are not uniform across the Earth. In particular, most land areas have warmed faster than most
ocean areas. The Arctic is warming faster than most other regions. Night-time temperatures have
increased faster than daytime temperatures. The impact on nature and people depends on how
much more the Earth warms.

Air Quality Impacts

Changes in the climate affect the air we breathe both indoors and outdoors. Warmer temperatures
and shifting weather patterns can worsen air quality, which can lead to asthma attacks and other
respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. Wildfires, which are expected to continue to

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increase in number and severity as the climate changes, create smoke and other unhealthy air
pollutants. Rising carbon dioxide levels and warmer temperatures also affect airborne allergens,
such as ragweed pollen.

Increases in Ozone
Scientists project that warmer temperatures from climate change will increase the frequency of
days with unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant, and a component in
smog. People exposed to higher levels of ground-level ozone are at greater risk of dying
prematurely or being admitted to the hospital for respiratory problems. Ground-level ozone can
damage lung tissue, reduce lung function, and inflame airways. This can aggravate asthma or
other lung diseases. Children, older adults, outdoor workers, and those with asthma and other
chronic lung diseases are particularly at risk.

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Chapter 3. Introduction to Carbon Footprint

3.1 What is Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the
atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O),
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), expressed in equivalent tons of CO2.
A carbon footprint corresponds to the whole amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced to,
directly and indirectly, support a person’s lifestyle and activities. Carbon footprints are usually
measured in equivalent tons of CO2, during the period of a year, and they can be associated with
an individual, an organization, a product or an event, among others.

According to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at Lancaster University in the UK and author of The
Carbon Footprint of Everything, it is “the sum total of all the greenhouse gas emissions that had
to take place in order for a product to be produced or for an activity to take place.”

For most consumers in developed countries, these products and activities tend to fall into four
principal categories: household energy use, transport, food, and everything else, which is mostly
the products we buy, from utensils to clothes to cars to television sets.

Each of these activities and products has its own footprint; a person’s carbon footprint is the
combined total of the products they buy and use, the activities they undertake, and so on. A
person who regularly consumes beef will have a larger food footprint than his vegan neighbor,
but that neighbor’s overall footprint may be larger if she drives an hour to work and back in an
SUV each day while our meat-eater bicycles to his office nearby. Both their footprints may pale
in comparison to the businesswoman across the street, who flies first-class cross-country twice a
month.

Unsurprisingly, in general terms the size of a person’s carbon footprint tends to increase with
wealth. In his book, Berners-Lee writes that the average global citizen has a carbon footprint that
is equivalent to the emission of seven tons of carbon dioxide per year. However, that figure is
approximately 13 tons for the average Briton and roughly 21 tons per person in the United
States.; The “average American takes just a couple of days to match the annual footprint of the
average Nigerian or Malian,” he writes.

The greenhouses gases whose sum results in a carbon footprint can come from the production
and consumption of fossil fuels, food, manufactured goods, materials, roads or transportation.
And despite its importance, carbon footprints are difficult to calculate exactly due to poor
knowledge and short data regarding the complex interactions between contributing processes –
including the influence of natural processes that store or release carbon dioxide.

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Example: Calculation of CO2 emissions for a petrol engine:
1 litre of petrol weighs 750 grams, contains 87% carbon, which is equivalent to 652 grams of
carbon in each litre of petrol. It takes 1740 grams of oxygen to burn 1 litre of petrol. The CO 2
produced is therefore equal to the sum of 652 grams of carbon and 1740 grams of oxygen.
That’s 2,392 grams of CO2 from one litre of gasoline burned.
It is associated with the activities of an individual, a community, an organization, a process, a
product or service, or an event, among other things. Individual carbon footprint can thus be
termed as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by our personal actions such as
transportation, household activities, clothing and food.

A product’s carbon footprint measures the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions from its life
cycle – from raw material extraction and production to the final use by consumers including
recycling or disposal. A company’s carbon footprint determines the greenhouse gas emissions
from across its operations, including power generation used in building structures, industrial
activities, and machinery and equipment. The carbon footprint of a country considers the
greenhouse gas emissions from total energy and material utilization, plants and other carbon
sequestrations, as well as indirect and direct emissions from import and export processes.

3.2 How to Calculate Carbon footprint?

Carbon footprint can be calculated by performing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method.
According to the definition of ISO 14044 standard, using the LCA method to calculate the
carbon footprint of a service or product includes four steps:
 goal and scope definition,
 inventory analysis,
 impact assessment, and
 result interpretation.

It isn’t easy to calculate a carbon footprint; indeed, Berners-Lee calls it the “essential but
impossible” measurement. Consider, for example, the personal carbon cost of taking a
commercial flight. On the one hand, the calculation is straightforward: take how much fuel a
plane burns and how many greenhouse gases are emitted during the course of a flight and divide
by the number of passengers. But the footprint is larger for first-and-business-class passengers,
because they take up more space and because their higher cost creates an extra incentive for the
flight to actually take place. Other considerations include how much cargo the plane is carrying,
and the altitude at which the plane flies.

Even so, it is a relatively simple calculation compared to assessing the emissions involved in
every step of, say, the manufacture of a car: the emissions that take place at the assembly plant,
the generation of electricity to power that plant, the transport of all the component items, the

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factories at which the components were made, the creation of the machinery used at those
factories and at the assembly plant and so on, all the way back to the extraction of the minerals
that are the car’s building blocks. Because of the complexity involved in such calculations,
Berners-Lee concedes that in such cases it is “never possible to be completely accurate.” The
good news, he argues, is that for most individuals, that doesn’t matter. “Usually, it’s good
enough just to have a broad idea,” he says.

What steps a person can take to reduce their personal footprint the most of course depends on the
kind of lifestyle they presently live, and the same actions are not equally effective for everyone.
For example, switching to an electric car is far more impactful in Vermont, where more than half
the state’s electricity is generated by hydropower, than in West Virginia, where it is almost
entirely generated by coal. Berners-Lee notes that, “for some people, flying may be 10 percent of
their footprint, for some people it’s zero, and for some it’s such a huge number that it should be
the only thing they should be thinking about.”

3.3 Greenhouse Gases accounting and Carbon Emission Scopes

According to the U.S. EPA, transportation and electricity—two essential functions for most
businesses—produce over half of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) in the U.S. Both
are great places to start if you’re looking to mitigate your GHG emissions, but did you know that
global emissions are about more than what comes out of an exhaust pipe or a smokestack?
Carbon emission scopes 1, 2, 3 are the three recognized scopes for carbon (GHG) accounting.
GHG accounting is a corporate or organizational assessment that measures the direct and indirect
carbon emissions that contribute to a company’s or entity’s carbon footprint. The Greenhouse
Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) divides emissions into three scopes:

Scope 1 emissions – direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by a company

Scope 2 emissions – indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heat, and cooling

Scope 3 emissions – all other emissions associated with a company’s activities

If this is hard to grasp at first, we have a good shorthand to remember what each scope includes:
Burn, Buy, Beyond. Scope 1 is what you burn; scope 2 is energy you buy; and scope 3 is
everything beyond that.

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Figure 4. SCOPE 1, 2, 3 Emission Diagram

(Source: GHG Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard)

3.4 Sector-wise Assessment of Carbon Footprint across Major Cities in India

Table 1. Greenhouse gases (GHG) footprint (Aggregation of Carbon dioxide equivalent

emissions of GHG’s) of Major Indian Cities:
(Source: IISC Bangalore Published Report on Sector-wise Assessment of Carbon Footprint across Major Cities in India)

Cities GHG footprint (Gg CO2 Transport Domestic Industrial

eq) (%) (%)
(%)
Delhi 38,633.2 32 30.26 7.9
Greater Mumbai 22,783.08 17.4 37.2 7.9
Kolkata 14,812.10 13.3 42.78 17.66
Chennai 22,090.55 19.5 39 20.25
Greater Bangalore 19,796.5 43.5 21.6 12.31
Hyderabad 13,734.59 56.86 17.05 11.38
Ahmedabad 91,24.45 25 27.9 22.41

Chennai emits 4.79 t of CO2 equivalent emissions per capita, the highest among all the cities
followed by Kolkata which emits 3.29 t of CO2 equivalent emissions per capita.

Also, Chennai emits the highest CO2 equivalent emissions per GDP (2.55 t CO2 eq./Lakh Rs.)
followed by Greater Bangalore which emits 2.18 t CO2 eq./Lakh Rs.

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Chapter 4. Setting Organizational & Operational Boundaries

The GHG Protocol describes two types of boundaries, organisational and operational
4.1 What are “Boundaries” in a GHG inventory
• Boundaries: Imaginary lines encompassing the emissions to include in a company’s GHG
inventory
1. Organizational boundaries –

 Determine which institution/company operations to include

2. Operational boundaries
• Determine which emissions sources to include
• Determine how to categorize emissions
4.2 Why are organizational boundaries important?
An institution or company can have various parts which need to be dealt carefully to avoid
intermixing. To measure emissions consistently throughout company
An institution may have Complex business structures like
 Subsidiaries
 Joint ventures
 Franchises

4.3 Why are operational boundaries important?

 To determine which sources of emissions to include
 To classify sources to avoid double-counting
 To provide more useful information to stakeholders
 To help manage GHG risks and opportunities along the value chain

Figure 5 - Organisational and operational boundaries (for a complex organisation)

(Source: GHG Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard)

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4.4 In case of GHG Emission from a Hostel (SEN HALL) Organizational and Operational
boundaries can be represented as:

Figure 6 - Organisational and Operational boundaries (for IIEST SHIBPUR)

Setting Organizational Boundary

Setting organizational boundary is not but complex for a small institution because the departs
and operational structures are limited. In case of carbon footprint calculation for a Hostel the
whole institution various functional buildings can be kept as organizational boundary.

Setting Operational Boundary

In case of a hostel, it is challenging task how to do further division of different sections of a
hostel in subsequent Scopes 1, 2 & 3.

An operational boundary defines the scope of direct and indirect emissions for operations that
fall within a company’s established organizational boundary. The operational boundary (scope 1,
scope 2, scope 3) is decided at the corporate level after setting the organizational boundary. The
selected operational boundary is then uniformly applied to identify and categorize direct and
indirect emissions at each operational level. The established organizational and operational
boundaries together constitute a company’s inventory boundary

Accounting and reporting on scopes Companies account for and report emissions from scope 1
and 2 separately. Companies may further subdivide emissions data within scopes where this aids
transparency or facilitates comparability over time. For example, they may subdivide data by
business unit/facility, country, source type (stationary combustion, process, fugitive, etc.), and
activity type (production of electricity, consumption of electricity, generation or purchased
electricity that is sold to end users, etc.).

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Chapter 5. Methodology for CF Calculations

5.1 Steps for Greenhouse Gases Emission Calculation

Once the inventory boundary has been established, companies/institution generally calculate
GHG emissions using the following steps:
1. Identify GHG emissions sources
2. Select a GHG emissions calculation approach
3. Collect activity data and choose emission factors
4. Apply calculation tools
5. Roll-up GHG emissions data

5.1.1 Identify GHG emissions sources

The first of the five steps in identifying and calculating emissions is to categorize the GHG
sources within that company’s boundaries. GHG emissions typically occur from the following
source categories:
• Stationary combustion: combustion of fuels in stationary equipment
• Mobile combustion: combustion of fuels in transportation
• Process emissions: emissions from physical or chemical processes
• Fugitive emissions: intentional and unintentional releases such as equipment leaks from joints,
seals, etc.
IDENTIFY SCOPE 1, 2, 3 EMISSIONS

5.1.2 Select a GHG emissions calculation approach

Select a calculation approach Direct measurement of greenhouse gases emissions by monitoring
concentration and flow rate is not common. More often, emissions may be calculated based on a
mass balance or stoichiometric basis specific to a facility or process. However, the most common
approach for calculating greenhouse gases emissions is through the application of documented
emission factors. These factors are calculated ratios relating GHG emissions to a proxy measure
of activity at an emissions source. The IPCC guidelines (IPCC, 1996) refer to a hierarchy of
calculation approaches and techniques ranging from the application of generic emission factors
to direct monitoring. In many cases, particularly when direct monitoring is either unavailable or
prohibitively expensive, accurate emission data can be calculated from fuel use data. Even small
users usually know both the amount of fuel consumed and have access to data on the carbon
content of the fuel through default carbon content coefficients or through more accurate periodic
fuel sampling.

5.1.3 Collect activity data and choose emission factors

For most small to medium-sized institutions and for many larger companies, scope 1 GHG
emissions will be calculated based on the purchased quantities of commercial fuels (such as
natural gas and heating oil) using published emission factors. Scope 2 GHG emissions will

21
primarily be calculated from metered electricity consumption and supplier-specific, local grid, or
other published emission factors. Scope 3 GHG emissions will primarily be calculated from
activity data such as fuel use or passenger miles and published or third-party emission factors. In
most cases, if source or facility specific emission factors are available, they are preferable to
more generic or general emission factors

5.1.4 Apply calculation tools

An institution is not bound to any particular available tools rather a number of online software
packages can be either borrowed or created as per its convenience.
In GHG Protocol websites free tolls are available. There are two main categories of calculation
tools:
• Cross-sector tools that can be applied to different sectors. These include stationary combustion,
mobile combustion, HFC use in refrigeration and air conditioning, and measurement and
estimation uncertainty.
• Sector-specific tools that are designed to calculate emissions in specific sectors such as
aluminium, iron and steel, cement, oil and gas, pulp and paper, office-based organizations.

5.1.5 Roll-up GHG emissions data

Roll-up GHG emissions data. To report a corporation’s total GHG emissions, institution will
usually need to gather and summarize data from multiple facilities. It is important to plan this
process carefully to minimize the reporting burden, reduce the risk of errors that might occur
while compiling data, and ensure that all facilities are collecting information on an approved,
consistent basis. Ideally, corporations will integrate GHG reporting with their existing reporting
tools and processes, and take advantage of any relevant data already collected and reported by
facilities to division or corporate offices, regulators or other stakeholders.

5.2 Approach for Calculating Greenhouse Gases

There are two basic approaches for gathering data on GHG emissions from a corporation’s
facilities

• Centralized: individual facilities report activity/fuel use data (such as quantity of fuel used) to
the corporate level, where GHG emissions are calculated.
• Decentralized: individual facilities collect activity/fuel use data, directly calculate their GHG
emissions using approved methods, and report this data to the corporate level.

22
For carbon footprint calculation of a Hostel centralized approach is more useful.

Some reporting categories are common to both the centralized and decentralized approaches and
should be reported by facilities to their corporate offices. These include: -

• A brief description of the emission sources

• A list and justification of specific exclusion or inclusion of sources
• Comparative information from previous years
• The reporting period covered
• Any trends evident in the data
• Progress towards any business targets
• A discussion of uncertainties in activity/fuel use or emissions data reported, their likely cause,
and recommendations for how data can be improved
• A description of events and changes that have an impact on reported data (acquisitions,
divestitures, closures, technology upgrades, changes of reporting boundaries or calculation
methodologies applied, etc.).

23
Chapter 6. Data Collection for Scope 1, 2 & 3

6.1 The CO2 emission and other greenhouse gases emission associated with various works
are difficult to estimate at once so in order to avoid the complexity of the data collection and
calculation process, the greenhouse emissions have been distributed in three broad scopes i.e,
Scope 1, 2 and 3.

For effective and innovative GHG management, setting operational boundaries that are
comprehensive with respect to direct and indirect emissions will help a company better manage
the full spectrum of GHG risks and opportunities that exist along its value chain. Direct GHG
emissions are emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the institution.

1. Indirect GHG emissions are emissions that are a consequence of the activities of the
institution but occur at sources owned or controlled by another institution. What is
classified as direct and indirect emissions is dependent on setting the organizational
boundary.

2. Introducing the concept of “scope” To help delineate direct and indirect emission
sources, improve transparency, and provide utility for different types of organizations and
different types of climate policies and business goals, three “scopes” (scope 1, scope 2,
and scope 3) are defined for GHG accounting and reporting purposes. Scopes 1 and 2 are
carefully defined in this standard to ensure that two or more institution will not account
for emissions in the same scope. This makes the scopes amenable for use in GHG
programs where double counting matters. Companies shall separately account for and
report on scopes 1 and 2 at a minimum.
6.1.1 Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions Direct GHG emissions occur from sources that are
owned or controlled by the company, for example, emissions from combustion in owned or
controlled boilers, furnaces, vehicles, etc.; emissions from chemical production in owned or
controlled process equipment. Direct CO2 emissions from the combustion of biomass shall not be
included in scope 1 but reported separately GHG emissions not covered by the Kyoto Protocol,
e.g. CFCs, NOx, etc. shall not be included in scope 1 but may be reported separately.

6.1.2 Scope 2: Electricity indirect GHG emissions Scope 2 accounts for GHG emissions from
the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the company. Purchased electricity is
defined as electricity that is purchased or otherwise brought into the organizational boundary of
the company. Scope 2 emissions physically occur at the facility where electricity is generated.

6.1.3 Scope 3: Other indirect GHG emissions Scope 3 is an optional reporting category that
allows for the treatment of all other indirect emissions. Scope 3 emissions are a consequence of
the activities of the company, but occur from sources not owned or controlled by the company.

24
Some examples of scope 3 activities are extraction and production of purchased materials;
transportation of purchased fuels; and use of sold products and services.

6.2 Double counting Concern is often expressed that accounting for indirect emissions will
lead to double counting when two different companies include the same emissions in their
respective inventories. Whether or not double counting occurs depends on how consistently
companies with shared ownership or trading program to set the organizational boundaries.
Whether or not double counting matters, depends on how the reported information is used.
Double counting needs to be avoided when compiling national (country) inventories under the
Kyoto Protocol, but these are usually compiled via a top-down exercise using national economic
data, rather than aggregation of bottom-up company data. Compliance regimes are more likely to
focus on the “point of release” of emissions (i.e., direct emissions) and/or indirect emissions
from use of electricity. For GHG risk management and voluntary reporting, double counting is
less important.

6.3 Choice of Activity Data and Emission Factors

This section discusses choices of activity data and factors used for calculating emissions with the
default fuel analysis method.

6.3.1 Activity Data Sources

When calculating GHG emissions with the fuel analysis method, the first piece of information
that needs to be determined is the quantity of fuel combusted for each fuel type. One method of
determining the amount of fuel combusted at a facility is to measure the fuel input into each
combustion device and to sum the measured data of each combustion device in the facility.

Typical fuel measurement systems measure the volume of fuel combusted, such as fuel flow
meters for natural gas and fuel oil, or the weight of fuel combusted, such as coal feed belt scales.
If fuel use data are not directly measured then fuel purchase records can be used to determine the
amount of fuel combusted. Records could include monthly utility bills for natural gas or periodic
invoices for deliveries of fuel oil. If a particular fuel type is used for both stationary and mobile
sources, care should be taken to avoid double counting the fuel use.

Commodity natural gas may be purchased from a provider other than the local distribution
utility. In this situation, the reporting organization may receive natural gas invoices from both the
commodity supplier as well as from the local distribution utility, who charges a fee for gas
deliveries. It is recommended that the consumption from the local utility be used as the activity
data, because this is based on fuel meters located at the organization’s facility. To avoid counting
the same consumption twice, ensure that consumption from the commodity supplier is not also
included in the activity data.

25
There are several factors that could lead to differences between the amount of fuel purchased and
the amount of fuel actually combusted during a reporting period, for example:
• Changes in fuel storage inventory
• Fuel used as feedstock
• Fugitive releases or fuel spills

Fuel purchase data are usually reported as the amount of fuel provided by a supplier as it crosses
the gate of the facility. However, once fuel enters the facility there could be some losses before it
actually reaches the combustion device. Before calculating emissions, organizations should
subtract the amount of fuel lost in fugitive releases or spills from the amount of fuel purchased.
These losses are particularly important for natural gas, which could be lost due to fugitive
releases from facility valves and piping, as these fugitive emissions could be significant. These
fugitive natural gas releases (essentially methane emissions) should be accounted for separately
from combustion emissions.

Purchased fuels could also be used as feedstock for products produced by the reporting
organization. In this case the carbon in the fuel would be stored in the product as opposed to
being released through combustion. In their scope 1 emissions, organizations only include direct
emissions from their facilities. If carbon leaves the facility stored in a product, even if the
product is subsequently burned or otherwise releases the stored carbon, this would be included in
an organization’s scope 3 emissions, not their scope 1 emissions.

Therefore, organizations should subtract any amount of fuel that is used as feedstock from the
amount of fuel purchased before calculating scope 1 emissions. For certain equipment, such as
emergency generators, gathering fuel consumption data through direct measurement or based on
fuel purchases may not be practical. If such equipment generally represents an insignificant
source of GHG emissions, an acceptable method to estimate fuel consumption is to multiply
measured or estimated operating hours by the hourly fuel consumption rate. If fuel consumption
data are not available for certain facilities or operations, an estimate should be made for
completeness. The fraction of total GHG emissions that is estimated should be limited so as not
to have a significant impact on accuracy. If the organization is one of many tenants in a facility
and does not have the actual amount of fuel used in its space, the organization may estimate its
fuel consumption by multiplying the fuel use of the entire facility by the percentage of the floor
area that the organization occupies. Organizations may also estimate fuel consumption using
published values for average energy consumption per square foot of floor area.

Activity Data Units

Fuel is measured in terms of physical units (i.e., mass or volume). For organizations that directly
measure their own fuel consumption, it is recommended that they track fuel use in terms of these
physical units as they represent the primary measurement data. Organizations that do not directly
measure how much fuel they use need to rely on data from fuel suppliers. Suppliers may provide

26
data in physical units or in energy units (e.g., therms of natural gas). Suppliers may also be able
to provide data on carbon content or heat content of the fuel.

It is possible that organizations may only know the cost of fuels purchased. This is the least
accurate method of determining fuel use and is not recommended for GHG reporting. If the
amount spent on fuel is the only information initially available, it is recommended that
organizations contact their fuel supplier to request data in physical or energy units. If absolutely
no other information is available, organizations should use fuel prices to convert the amount
spent to physical or energy units, and should document the prices used. Price varies widely for
specific fuels, especially over the geographic area and timeframe typically established for
reporting GHG emissions.

The approaches for measuring or recording the amount of fuel used are listed in order of
preference below.
1. An organization has fuel consumption data by fuel type in terms of physical units either
measured on site or provided by a supplier with accurate data on carbon content of the specific
fuel as determined by the fuel supplier or by fuel sampling and analysis.
2. An organization has fuel consumption data by fuel type in terms of physical units with
accurate data on heat content of the specific fuel as determined by the fuel supplier or by fuel
sampling and analysis. Alternatively, organization has fuel consumption data from the supplier in
energy units.

6.4 In case of a Hostel, possible sources of emissions that can happen in various scopes are
mentioned:
Scope 1 – canteen or mess (cooking), oil or natural gas, fossil fuel, own transport etc.
Scope 2 – direct electricity consumption
Scope 3 – use of sold products and services, Electricity-related activities not included in scope 2,
packaged items use, Waste disposal, Leased assets, franchises, and outsourced activities, etc.

27
6.5 Data Collection for SEN Hall (a hostel of IIEST Shibpur)

Sources of Scope 1 – LPG burning in mess for cooking

Sources of Scope 2 – Electricity consumption in day-to-day life by the boarders and for other
purposes.

Sources of Scope 3 – This list is very vast and it has much chances of double counting instead
the possible sources are mentioned: food items for mess, furnitures purchased, electronic
gadgets, stationery items, building construction materials used for repair works, infrastructural
accessories, clothes, vehicles, etc.

6.5.1 Scope 1 – An average consumption of 20 commercial cylinders (Mass 19 Kg)

Scope 2 – 7000kWh of electricity consumption per month
Scope 3 – mess food (uncooked), electricity consumption for water pumping, furnitures, etc.

Table 2 - Avg. Raw food item Consumption in SEN HALL

28
Chapter 7. Data Analysis & Calculation

7.1 There are two main methods for estimating GHG emissions from stationary combustion
sources:
• Direct measurement
• Analysis of fuel input

Direct measurement of CO2 emissions is performed through the use of a Continuous Emissions
Monitoring System (CEMS).

Fuel analysis is essentially a mass balance approach in which carbon content factors are applied
to fuel input to determine emissions.

7.2 Here Analysis of Fuel input is being used for Calculation

Scope 1 emission
a. as per IISC Bangalore
Emissions (t) = Fuel consumption (kt) × Net calorific value of fuel (TJ/kt) × Emission factor
(t/TJ)
= 0.00038 (kt) x 47.3 (TJ/kt) x 63.1 (t/TJ) = 1.134 (t) CO2 = 1134 kg of CO2

b. as per GHG Calculation Tool

Figure 6 – GHG Calculator Tool for Scope 1 Emission

1209 kg of CO2
(Calculated using GHG Calculator)

Scope 2 emission
a. as per U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The emissions per unit of electricity are estimated to be in the range of 0.91 to 0.95
kg/kWh for CO2.

29
Emissions (t) = Electricity consumption (kWh) × Emission factor (kg/kWh)
= 7000 (kWh) x .95 (kg/kWh) = 6650 kg of CO2

b. as per GHG Calculation Tool

Figure 7 – GHG Calculator Tool for Scope 1 Emission

Hence 6650 kg of CO2 eq. from Scope 2

Scope 3 Emission

Table 3 – Carbon Footprint from Avg. Raw food item Consumption in SEN HALL

Hence total = (1209+6650+5051) =12910 kg of CO2 eq.

30
Chapter 8. Plan for Future Work

 Reporting Carbon Footprint

 How to Overcome Data Collection Limitations
 Setting GHG Emission Targets
 Possible Strategies to Minimize Carbon Footprint
Knowing the problem is a step toward its solution. Since calculating the carbon footprint is not
as easy and simple because of the data collection from different sources and the scopes. There
may be chances of double counting, missing out sources, inaccurate calculation or references
adopted. Hence a proper care to be given while estimation of carbon footprint. Even after
calculating the carbon footprint does not solve the problem. In order to achieve the goal of
reducing emission from several scopes, better innovative techniques and methods need to be
implemented to our conventional way of living. Moreover, to track the carbon footprint a target
is to be set with reference to past years so our adopted new methodology and techniques can be
checked.

31
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