In May of this year the Environmental Audit Committee recommended that the government introduce a personal carbon trading scheme in Britain. As with cap-and-trade at the national level individuals would be provided with a personal carbon quota, and each time they bought goods, petrol or the like they would have to pay an allowance. Like the industry equivalent, if a person ran short of credit they would have the option of purchasing more from someone who hadn't used their quota. The idea being that a personal ration of carbon would force individuals to be actively conscious of their CO2 expenditure, and thus limit their usage. The fact that individuals could make money from selling on unused credits would also add a financial incentive to curbing usage.
At present however, the government is balking at the idea. This is largely because it would cost billions of pounds to implement (and we're in a financial crisis dontyaknow) but also because it lacks widespread support among the population. Nevertheless, the groundwork is being laid and there are suggestions that a scheme could be in place by 2020.
As someone trying to get a handle on my carbon footprint I would welcome such an initiative. It would help me understand where I'm unnecessarily burning credit (grapes flown in from Greece perhaps) and allow me to make informed decisions about what I do use it for. That said, I'm not sure I'm representative of the general population. How eagerly will the majority of people welcome enforced limits on the goods they can buy and the travel they can do? What government would be brave enough to introduce such a politically volatile scheme? And would such a scheme simply see the less well-off funding the carbon extravagances of the rich?
Wednesday 7 October 2009
Tuesday 6 October 2009
The road to neutrality is a bumpy one!
A couple of weeks into my efforts to reduce my carbon footprint I have come to a number of conclusions.
1) there are some pretty simple changes that you can integrate into your life without having to drastically alter your habits...
2) if you really want to cut down on CO2 usage then you have to be prepared to make some pretty big sacrifices.
My inital steps - turning appliances off standby, not buying bottled water, notching the heating down a few degrees, recycling, being conscious of what I am buying and throwing away - were pretty simple and they've stuck. I've found that once the idea of reducing your CO2 usage is implanted in your mind you find yourself automatically making more carbon friendly decisions. It's kind of like Weight Watchers - when you know everything you do adds up you are a bit more careful about what your consuming. Taking it to the next level however, is proving a little more difficult. Those changes that would make the biggest difference - like reducing international travel, using my car less, or improving the energy rating of my house - mean real committment. Financial and personal. Take using my car for example. I have a two year old daughter who accompanies me pretty much everywhere. Popping her on the back of a bicycle in the pouring rain is not really an option. Dragging her (physically) onto public transport to go to the shops and then lugging everything back home is just not something I feel keen on. So I find myself taking short car journeys, all the time plagued by the knowledge I'm running up my CO2 account. It leads me to question my committment. Clearly, if the option is there for me to integrate a change without huge personal sacrifice I'll do it. If it means significant inconvenience, or financial outlay I'm less eager. Presumably this is the case with most people. The question is, how much should an individual be expected to change their lifestyle to cut their carbon footprint?
1) there are some pretty simple changes that you can integrate into your life without having to drastically alter your habits...
2) if you really want to cut down on CO2 usage then you have to be prepared to make some pretty big sacrifices.
My inital steps - turning appliances off standby, not buying bottled water, notching the heating down a few degrees, recycling, being conscious of what I am buying and throwing away - were pretty simple and they've stuck. I've found that once the idea of reducing your CO2 usage is implanted in your mind you find yourself automatically making more carbon friendly decisions. It's kind of like Weight Watchers - when you know everything you do adds up you are a bit more careful about what your consuming. Taking it to the next level however, is proving a little more difficult. Those changes that would make the biggest difference - like reducing international travel, using my car less, or improving the energy rating of my house - mean real committment. Financial and personal. Take using my car for example. I have a two year old daughter who accompanies me pretty much everywhere. Popping her on the back of a bicycle in the pouring rain is not really an option. Dragging her (physically) onto public transport to go to the shops and then lugging everything back home is just not something I feel keen on. So I find myself taking short car journeys, all the time plagued by the knowledge I'm running up my CO2 account. It leads me to question my committment. Clearly, if the option is there for me to integrate a change without huge personal sacrifice I'll do it. If it means significant inconvenience, or financial outlay I'm less eager. Presumably this is the case with most people. The question is, how much should an individual be expected to change their lifestyle to cut their carbon footprint?
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