Energy Saving and Carbon Neutrality in the Funeral Industry

Kuo-Hsien Lee,Sophia Chuang,Wen-Hsien Tsai,Cheng-Tsu Huang,Chung-Chen Huang,Chu-Lun Hsieh

doi:10.3390/en15041457

Abstract

As a result of the global population growth since World War II, and the major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the increase in the number of deaths, carbon emissions resulting from cremations in the funeral industry have increased by more than initially expected. In order to achieve the goal of the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, to reach net-zero carbon neutrality by 2050, in this study, we comprehensively examined the literature on the differences in burial methods in terms of carbon emissions, and undertook stepwise analysis of the solution’s sequence from 1990 to 2050 using the recurrence relations in the trend changes using 5-year intervals. By collecting the annual number of global deaths and calculating the average carbon emissions per death to be 245 kg, we analyzed and compared these data with the annual carbon dioxide amount and global population until 2050. In addition, the results for cremation and Cryomation were analyzed and compared to construct a model of comparative advantage. The results of this study show that Cryomation is more energy efficient and has a greater impact on carbon emission reduction than cremation because it does not require carbon emission elements such as embalming or coffins. Thus, Cryomation can effectively reduce damage to the environment. Taking appropriate strategies for the funeral industry to promote Cryomation can achieve the goals of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Highlights

As of 11 January 2022, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused 307 million confirmed cases (5.49 million confirmed deaths) globally [1,2]
The body is transported to the designated cremation site by the funeral vehicle, and the cremation is arranged after the mortuary is completed and the coffin is sealed
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Summary

Introduction

As of 11 January 2022, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused 307 million confirmed cases (5.49 million confirmed deaths) globally [1,2]. In addition to facing the global wave of energy conservation and carbon reduction, the funeral industry still needs to face the challenge of dealing with the deaths confirmed under the epidemic [3]. The funeral industry generally handles the arrangements in response to a confirmed death. The Paris City Government, which has vigorously promoted environmental protection and energy conservation, conducted an important study of the carbon footprint impact on the planet in the aftermath of a person’s death. The funeral service unit of the Paris Municipal Government pointed out in 2017 that the total greenhouse gas emissions of standard burial coffins and tombstones are equivalent to the carbon footprint of a car traveling more than 4000 km. The implementation of environmental protection and natural burial policies can be used to address the problem of land resource utilization. Experts suggest that as baby boomers age and begin to decline in number, and the population ages substantially, environmentally friendly funeral arrangements will become a common occurrence

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