The Carbon Footprint Handbook PDF Edited by Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

Preface
It is emergent to act toward reducing the vulnerable impacts of climate change. Climate change or carbon footprint is no longer a new term to our society. Interest in quantifying and reducing the carbon footprint of products, processes, organizations, and even individuals has been raised, and the topic of reducing our carbon footprint is becoming more familiar and popular. Recognizing the importance of working toward mitigating the impact of climate change, companies, governments, and researchers, students, and private individuals alike are striving to reduce the carbon footprint within the possible boundaries.

Almost every industrial sector and its corresponding organizations are keenly working toward the quantification of carbon footprint, mitigation plans, and development of carbon labels pertaining to that particular sector. For most organizations, reduction of carbon emissions within a specified time frame is at the top of their agendas. Many countries have introduced stringent regulations to curb carbon emissions, and many countries are planning to implement the same. To gain sufficient knowledge and to keep abreast with the latest developments on our carbon footprint is pivotal for everyone involved in the sustainability and to anyone interested in protecting our planet from the impact of climate change. Hence, this handbook is composed of 23 scientific chapters under three sections.

The first section deals with methodological aspects of the carbon footprint. This overall topic is divided into eight interesting chapters, namely: The science of carbon footprint assessment; Challenges and merits of choosing alternative functional units; Methodology for CF calculation in crop and livestock production; End-of-life scenarios and the carbon footprint of wood cladding; Carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emission savings of alternative synthetic biofuels; Issues in making food production GHG efficient; Modeling the carbon footprint of wood-based products and buildings; and Applications of carbon footprint in urban planning and geography.

The crux of the carbon footprint and its results lie in the credibility of the models and results of an assessment. Modeling aspects of the carbon footprint are important, and hence a separate section composed of six chapters is dedicated to dealing with this issue. Chapters include Carbon footprint: Calculations and sensitivity analysis for milk produced in Flanders, a Belgian region; Digitizing the assessment of embodied energy and carbon footprint of buildings using emerging building informa­tion modeling; The carbon footprint of dwelling construction in Spain; Carbon footprint estimation from a building sector in India; Urban carbon footprint evaluation of a central Chinese city: The case study of Zhengzhou city; and Quantifying spatial–temporal variability of carbon stocks and fluxes in urban soils.

Case studies are valuable for illustrating the applicability and results of any concept. Hence, a separate section is provided to include many interesting case studies that offer bountiful informa­tion to the readers and practitioners of carbon footprint. Nine chapters from different perspectives have been chosen to discuss the case studies on carbon footprint under this section. Chapters include Product carbon footprint: Case study of a critical electronic part (subassembly of a product); GHG emissions from municipal wastewater treatment in Latin America; Carbon footprint of the opera­tion and products of a restaurant; Cultivation of Microalgae: Implications for the carbon footprint of aquaculture and agriculture industries; Carbon footprint of agricultural products; The carbon foot­print of sugar production in eastern Batangas, Philippines; A two-phase carbon footprint manage­ment framework: A case study on the rockwool supply chain; Product carbon footprint estimation of a ton of paper: Case study of a paper production unit in West Bengal, India, and Product carbon footprint assessment of a personal electronic product: Case study of an electronic scale.

All the very important aspects including even minute information pertaining to carbon footprint assessment and modeling have been collated for this handbook and presented in the 23 chapters examining the detailed aspects of the carbon footprint. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors of these 23 chapters for their sincere efforts and for so successfully enriching this handbook with the technical content in their chapters. I am confident that readers and practitioners of carbon footprint will certainly benefit from this handbook, which highlights the essential details pertaining to carbon footprint assessment. This handbook will undoubtedly become an important reference for the researchers and students, industrialists, climate change, and sustainability profes­sional carbon footprint practitioners.