CARBON BUDGETING FOR CITIES OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES : A CASE STUDY OF BANGALORE, INDIA

Abstract

Cities are gaining importance in the arena of climate change, as they are the major consumers of energy, natural resources, goods and materials. Due to the intensity of material consumption, they cause externalities such as waste disposal, depletion of resources, air and water pollution; well beyond their territories. Climate change is one such externality resulted from the extensive emission of greenhouse gases from anthropogenic activities. Population and resource consumption in developing countries are growing at faster rate and specifically concentrated in cities. Carbon budgeting for cities helps in identifying potential sectors that need policy and technology interventions. Many of the cities in developed countries have adopted carbon budgeting to implement climate change mitigation measures, but little has been done in this aspect in developing countries. In this study, a carbon budgeting method for cities of developing countries is developed, which can be used by urban local bodies as a tool. The key sectors in cities contributing to greenhouse gases emissions are prioritized based on the review of case studies. Existing methods of quantifying emissions from the prioritiesd sources are reviewed and the suitable methods that can be applicable to the cities of developing country are selected. The applicability of thus developed procedure is tested by estimating the emissions from Bangalore city, as a case study. The outcome of the study shows that the developed procedure can be implemented in any cities of developing country. Direct, indirect and embodied emissions associated with residential energy use, industries, transport, waste management, goods and material consumptions are the main sectors of greenhouse gas emission in cities of developing country. The emission profile of Bangalore, which is one of the products of this study, serves as baseline information for planners, policy makers and decision makers in implementing climate change mitigation measures in Bangalore.