Economic disparity and CO2 emissions: The domestic energy sector in Greater Bangalore, India

Abstract

Energy consumption constitutes one of the important sources of carbon dioxide emission which cause global warming. This paper analyses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to energy consumption in the domestic sector considering household activities and socioeconomic parameters. A stratified random survey of 1967 households in Bangalore pertaining to the energy consumption reveals that annual per capita electricity consumption ranges from 9.64 to 2337kWh/year with an average of 336±267kWh/year. Emission from most of the wards (66 wards) is about 10–15Gg/year, while wards in peri-urban areas emit less than 10Gg/year. Extrapolation of these, show that total carbon dioxide from all wards of Greater Bangalore accounts to 3350Gg/Year. The energy consumption analyses reveal a proportional increase in the per capita energy consumption with the family income suggesting that economic levels in respective wards is an important parameter in the domestic energy consumption and also GHG emissions. Suggested interventions through large scale penetration of renewable sources of energy and energy conservation would help in reducing greenhouse gases and consequent warming of the Earth.