PANAJI
Goa is set to become the first State in India to develop a carbon profile covering all its 191 panchayats, with State government to roll out a digital ‘Carbon Profiling Tool’ to track emissions and carbon removals at the local level. The data would be used to plan and monitor climate action.
The proposed digital platform, being developed under the Net Positive Panchayat (NPP) initiative, will allow panchayat-level officials to enter local data through a standardised interface, with the system automatically calculating greenhouse gas emissions and generating dashboards showing total emissions, major sources and trends over the years. The data generated by individual panchayats will eventually be consolidated into a single State-wide Carbon Profile.
As per the concept note prepared by the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) the initiative will build on an Excel-based carbon profiling tool already successfully tested in three panchayats-Harvalem, Calangute and Caurem-Pirla. The pilot covered four financial years, from 2022-23 to 2025-26.
“The tool currently tracks emissions from direct energy use, including fuel burnt in households, public buildings and commercial establishments; indirect energy through electricity consumption; transport; waste; livestock; and agriculture. It will also account for carbon removals through forest cover, mangroves and other natural green cover,” GEDA said.
The carbon profiles are expected to provide panchayats with a measurable baseline, allowing them to identify sectors contributing most to emissions and prioritise interventions. The profiles will also form the basis for preparing Net Positive Action Plans and monitoring progress year-on-year.
The statewide rollout will be phased and will require training and handholding for panchayat and other government officials. As panchayats are progressively brought onto the platform, their data will be integrated into a consolidated statewide greenhouse gas profile.
The government has projected the initiative as potentially the first of its kind in India if implemented across all 191 panchayats using a common digital platform and standardised scientific methodology.
While individual village-level carbon-neutral initiatives have been undertaken in places such as Palli in Jammu and Kashmir and Meenangadi in Kerala, the concept note says these did not involve a common methodology applied across an entire State.
“Carbon profiling is envisaged as the baseline measurement framework for the programme, enabling panchayats to move from assessment to targeted planning and measurable climate action,” GEDA said.
