The increasing carbon footprint of the Indian auto industry has been a major issue for long. In order to reduce it, we first need to understand what is the carbon footprint and the factors that cause it. Most importantly how carbon footprint can be reduced with a car repair?
What is a carbon footprint?
The total amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activities in a particular area in a particular period of time account for the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is measured in tonnes of CO2 that is released into the atmosphere by each individual through their activities.
India emitted 20.54 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the year 2005-2013. Here, the emissions were growing annually at a rate of 5.57%. Emissions per capita grew too at an annual rate of 4.07%. In the year 2013, India emitted 2.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide which was still considerably less than what the US and China had emitted.
Now we know what is carbon footprint but most of us would still be thinking about how to calculate the carbon footprint. The name may suggest that carbon footprint is related to carbon dioxide emissions only but it is not so. The carbon footprint is calculated by considering other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide that are emitted along with carbon dioxide. Measurement of the carbon footprint has not been standardized until yet as many standards are evolving. The carbon footprint of a particular thing may not only be the emissions caused by it but also the emissions caused by the machines that were involved in the different stages of manufacturing. Manufacturing plays an equally important role in leaving a carbon footprint as the lifecycle of the product does.
The carbon footprint of the Indian auto industry:
You will be surprised to know that our dear machines contribute almost 15% of the world’s total global warming issues. Not only cars but trucks, ships, and other vehicles are included in this number. Cars have always been a major source of pollution but have you ever wondered what causes a more significant carbon footprint between using a car and manufacturing it?
Whenever we talk about the carbon footprint of the auto industry, the first thought that hits our mind is the pollution caused by the emissions of cars and other vehicles but the fact we miss out is the contribution of the manufacturing processes in causing pollution. All of us have seen different companies claiming that due to advanced technologies, their latest cars don’t pollute the environment as much as their older vehicles. They are absolutely right on their part but another aspect we should consider here is the manufacturing process.
How manufacturing a vehicle increases carbon footprint?
Manufacturing a vehicle or even the parts is energy and resource-intensive process. The raw materials which are required to make the vehicle require mining of the ores and the oils. The mining process is a majorly polluting process within itself. Extracting the ores, turning them into raw materials and finally processing them further to form the finished car parts. This is the whole process which is carried out each time you order for a part to be replaced in your car.
Authorised service centres always push customers to get the parts of their vehicles replaced under their insurance cover claiming that their car would look like a new one again which won’t be possible with repairing the part. The thing to notice here is that the customer readily orders the new parts ignoring the fact about his contribution being increased towards environmental pollution. The carbon footprint of the Indian auto industry has been increasing extensively because of this practice which is the most favourite practice of the authorised service centres where they don’t believe in repairing stuff.
Due to this frequent practise, we end up with a ton or more of plastic and metal on earth which was not there before and also with more intensive processes being carried out to manufacture the products that could have been avoided if we repaired the already existing product.
How to reduce the carbon footprint?
With the alarming need to control the increasing carbon footprint, GoMechanic has always believed in repairing the stuff that is in a repairable state. GoMechanic believes in repairing over replacements. Just like all the authorised service centres, we have tied up with the insurance companies. We help you to get the claims settled at a faster pace than them but at the same time, we won’t let you pollute the environment more by unnecessarily replacing each and every part under insurance claims. We repair the parts that are still in a repairable condition and strive to deliver the best. Repairing the already existing part delivers multiple benefits.
- Firstly, It has a huge impact on your bill. Repairing a part can help you save a lot on your repair bill
- Using an already existing part won’t require the manufacturing process to be carried out especially for you. This will help you reduce your carbon footprint.
- You will get the new part but what about the old one? It will increase the amount of scrap that exists! Just don’t contribute towards making this world a scrapyard!
Concluding, all we have to say is that the carbon footprint of the Indian auto industry is increasing significantly and the easiest way we can contribute to bringing this down is preferring repairs over replacements. At GoMechanic we guarantee you the best quality repair work that won’t let you look towards part replacements ever again! We work with all the major insurance brands so filing a claim won’t be a hassle too! Reducing the carbon footprint and car repair go hand in hand.
Together we can work towards a greener earth and where we can contribute our best in reducing the carbon footprint of the Indian auto industry. Let’s make this earth a healthier place to live by doing every effort we can to bring down the pollution levels.
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