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The reliance on petroleum derivatives and the increasing trend of fuel consumption in the transport sector have brought attention to biofuels as a measure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, enhance energy security and boost economic development. The incentive for utilizing biofuels is their potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared to fossil fuels. Biofuels are considered to be carbon-neutral, regarding the direct CO2 emissions associated with their combustion, on the grounds that the carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants through photosynthesis is equivalent to the CO2 released during their combustion. However, a part of the carbon of biofuels may have a fossil origin and therefore, it is responsible for "non-neutral" CO2 emissions. This was recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its guidelines for greenhouse gas inventories. Nevertheless, specific guidance of how to estimate fossil CO2 emissions per each type of biofuel, in order to facilitate the work of emission inventory compilers and practitioners, is neither available in the IPCC guidelines nor in the scientific literature. The purpose of this paper is to define a higher tier method to estimate the associated CO2 emissions with the fossil carbon content of biofuels, aiming to cover all possible biofuel types that are mainly used nowadays to replace diesel and gasoline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges of any kind facing human society today. It is a threat to the availability of land, air, food and water - all of which are key constituents of the Sustainable Development Goals. Much of the observed change in climate is anthropogenic in nature. Hence, it is imperative for all human societies to make a positive contribution in spreading greater public awareness and engagement for creating a more sustainable world. Due to the lack of a reliable carbon footprint measurement system specific to Indian conditions, a robust multimedia application has been developed and designed in the form of India's first certified Carbon Footprint Calculator. Titled the ‘Yo!Green’ Carbon Calculator, it allows individuals and households to measure their greenhouse gas emissions, and recommends simple mitigation measures based on their emission profile. This paper presents the methodologies, assumptions and processes which have been adopted to develop the Yo!Green Carbon Calculator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper estimates the Indian carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the last two decades at sectoral and sub-regional levels to identify hotspots of CO2emissions, providing possible insights for focused carbon mitigation efforts pan-India. The CO2emissions are also estimated at the level of 1151 large point sources to identify hotspots for mitigation and also to demonstrate future possibilities for CO2storage in nearby geological sinks. India's CO2emission grew at around 5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between the years 1990 and 2013. From the 1897 Mt of CO2emission electricity generation, transport and iron & steel industry contributed 48%, 11.6% and 7.9% respectively. Districts of Kachchh, Sonbhadra and Korba were the largest CO2emitters, mainly due to the location of coal-based mega power projects. The district-level emissions estimates show a flattening of the distribution curve of CO2emissions over the years, indicating that more districts are now crowding up the higher emission space, partly driven by income effects. Our estimate of CO2emission intensity of the Indian economy shows 11% decoupling of growth of emissions and gross domestic product during 2005–2013, 2005 being the base year for India under the Paris climate change agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]