CHAT GPT has given the following answer when I asked for data about which festivals are most polluting. Very interesting data:

Environmental Damage Due to Christmas, Bakrid, and Diwali

1. Christmas

Candles: CO2 emissions from approximately 1 billion candles: 40,000 metric tons.

Christmas Trees:

Carbon Sequestration Loss: 10.12 million metric tons.

Transportation Emissions: 7.36 million metric tons.

Packing Christmas Presents:

Estimated use of wrapping paper and packaging materials contributes approximately 4 million metric tons CO2 equivalent, considering production, transportation, and disposal.

Total for Christmas: 21.88 million metric tons CO2 equivalent.

2. Bakrid

Animal Sacrifice: Globally, it is estimated that around 30 million animals are sacrificed during Bakrid (considering populations in Muslim-majority countries).

Environmental Impacts:

Land Use: Each livestock animal requires about 1.5 acres for grazing. For 30 million animals, this amounts to 45 million acres of land.

Water Consumption: The average water footprint for livestock is substantial. Each sheep requires approximately 5,000 liters of water over its life. This results in about 150 billion liters of water used for sheep alone globally.

Methane Emissions: Globally, livestock farming contributes to significant greenhouse gas emissions. Using an average emission rate of 100 kg of methane per animal per year, the total methane emissions from 30 million animals would be approximately 3 million metric tons CO2 equivalent.

Approximate Impact for Bakrid: Estimated total emissions due to land use, water consumption, and methane could range between 10 to 15 million metric tons CO2 equivalent.

3. Diwali

Fireworks:

Estimated use: 20,000 tons of fireworks.

CO2 Emissions: Approximately 6,000 tons.

PM2.5 Increase: Levels can exceed 500 µg/m³, causing severe air quality deterioration.

Total for Diwali: CO2 emissions of 6,000 tons from fireworks; significant PM2.5 increases are notable but hard to quantify directly in CO2 equivalents.

Summary of Environmental Damage

Christmas: 21.88 million metric tons CO2 equivalent (including packaging).

Bakrid: Estimated 10 to 15 million metric tons CO2 equivalent globally.

Diwali: 6,000 tons CO2 from fireworks; severe air quality issues.

Most Polluting and Least Polluting

Most Polluting: Christmas (21.88 million metric tons CO2 equivalent).

Least Polluting: Diwali (6,000 tons CO2 from fireworks), though air quality issues are serious but difficult to quantify.

Bakrid’s global impact is substantial due to livestock practices, with clear statistics illustrating the environmental footprint.