According to a recent study published in the journal Atmospheric Pollution Research, kerosene-based lamps leads to release of 12.5 gigagrammes (Gg) per year of a potent climate pollutant called black carbon in India.
- This accounts for about 10 per cent of the total residential black carbon emissions, which includes cooking, heating and lighting.
- Roughly 30 per cent of rural households rely on kerosene lighting during power cuts as a secondary light source, with the figure reaching as high as 70 per cent in the eastern regions.
- The study found that eastern India contributed 7.5 Gg or 60 per cent of India’s black carbon emissions from secondary light sources.
About Black carbon
- Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is a component of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5). It is formed by the incomplete combustion of wood and fossil fuels, a process which also creates carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds.
- Black carbon warms the atmosphere because it is very effective at absorbing light. The 20-year global warming potential of black carbon is estimated to be around 700–4,000.
- They have a short atmospheric lifetime of less than a week.It exacerbates warming of the air and surfaces in regions where it is concentrated, altering weather patterns and ecosystem cycles.
- Black carbon lasts only days to weeks in the atmosphere but has significant direct and indirect impacts on the climate, snow and ice, agriculture, and human health.
