Golf and my carbon footprint

I calculated my carbon footprint for the first time yesterday. It’s strange to find out how much of pressure you alone are putting on the environment.

Now last few years I have lived in India more often than not. Here we don’t use heat and use AC only for a three to four months. Most of our vegetables are locally grown. That seems to be changing in last one or two years but still it is locally grown. The consumption of gasoline is less. However, suddenly India has the second largest domestic passengers in air.

Still, my carbon consumption came to be equivalent of 12.75 metric ton of carbon or equivalent of 19 trees a year. Now even if we think that I am at the highest end of my traveling chart with 4 to 6 intercontinental trips and around 20 domestic flights. I use a mid range car over the year and normally consume transported food. This number is staggering. This means that I need to plant at least 20 trees to offset what I am consuming.

The consumption in top 30 developed countries in the world is 11.5 metric ton of carbon per person.

Now if we get to a normal family in India or China the carbon foot print is around 2 ton per person. But this calculation misses out one important data which is the direct impact these people create in their own country through coal and wood burning, direct deforestation and land clearance for agriculture. Even if we assume that this impact is negligible as compared to western world standards, the population of both the countries offsets it. Another problem is that both countries are determined to improve standards the old-fashioned way. This would put enormous impact on environment if you suddenly have 2.4 Billion people consuming more and releasing more emissions into the environment.

Even if talk about today and take the world average of 4.5 metric ton or equivalent of 7 trees. Let us then multiply this by 6.5 Billion people. The amount of trees that we need to plant comes to 45.5 Billion trees. ‘HOLY COW’. Where is the space for all that if we want to do it every year?

However, we need to do something and I have decided to plant 20 trees this year. Let me start myself. I will keep you posted on this development through this blog.

GOLF: The finest finish that I have watched.

I love watching sport, as I had written in one of my previous blog that I think live sport is the best form of entertainment because the script is unwritten. I love watching cricket, soccer, tennis, baseball or even American football.

I do not watch golf often but surprisingly I was fortunate to watch the US Open this year with Tiger Woods and 45 year old Rocco Mediate fighting it out in the playoff then the sudden death. I was just flipping through the channels and as I went past ESPN, I knew something special was brewing. I just stopped.

Tiger was fighting a bad knee and Rocco was trying to win his first major. First Tiger Woods sinked a 16 footer to force the playoff. In the first half of the playoff he was in control, till the 10th hole he was up by 3 strokes, then the drama unfolded. Rocco made a par and two birdies. Tiger made 2 bogeys and suddenly Rocco was up by 1 stroke.

I was nervous holding the remote and I was wondering how these champions are handling themselves on the course.

Reaching the 18th Tiger Woods was still behind by a stroke. Here Tiger got a birdie and Rocco had a chance to win it all with a 12 foot putt. Sadly he missed.

The game went into the 91st hole of the tournament. Here tiger played a nice safe shot. But Rocco went for glory and hooked it towards the left. The ball went into the stands and he had to sacrifice a stroke. This made a huge difference as now Tiger got the birdie and Rocco missed his Birdie putt.

Sadly Rocco won the hearts and as usual Tiger the championship. But people who saw this game would remember it long.

It reminded me of Tin Cup the movie and the last shot was all about glory.