All Brits 'should have carbon rations'
Habits like hanging washing on a line could help Brits save their carbon rations
The Environment Agency is set to announce a major new proposal which would see all Britons given an annual carbon "ration" today (9th November).
Lord Smith of Finsbury, the body's chairman, will tell its annual conference that people should be given an allowance that they cannot exceed as part of plans to meet Britain's target to cut carbon emissions.
Under the plans, consumers would be given a unique number when buying products such as petrol or household utilities, while statements could be sent out to ensure people are aware of how much of their ration they have left.
In addition, those who fail to make their account last for 12 months will have to buy extra credits from others who have not used up a full allowance.
An Environment Agency spokesman told the Daily Telegraph that those with "extravagant lifestyles" will be most affected by the rations, while people who cycle could even get money back by selling credits on to others.
Take action
- Discover more with our climate change challenge
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- Cut your carbon footprint with the 10:10 campaign
- Get involved with your local carbon rationing action group
Recent research published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US suggested that several basic household changes could help to cut carbon emissions.
These include drying laundry on a line and the use of more efficient vehicles.
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Comments
Sigh!
It seems much like smokers who would deny the risks that tobacco caused to their health by claiming they knew someone who lived till they were 90 who had smoked all their lives.
Our polluting lifestyles are habit-forming in much the same way. Most of us can't imagine living any other way; we don't want to even contemplate making any changes, even though the evidence shows that the more we consume the poorer is our quality of life/ happiness/ suicide rates etc.
Whether you want to believe it or not the best evidence shows that our CO2 (and methane etc.) emissions at current rates will destroy most of the human habitats on this planet. We are supposedly the most intelligent species on the planet. Also the most foolish I think!
I don't want to be responsible for the effects on my children and grandchildren's lives. So for instance, I do many journeys on a little motorbike that does 125mpg, I hang out the washing rather than tumble dry, I'm working hard on improving insulation in our house, I'm installing solar thermal panels on our roof, I'm taking no more long-haul flights.
And life is still good. It's not that hard really!
Even if you are not totally convinced please don't take this gamble with our future.
Yet another Buzz phrase to make a name for this bloke as a 'Green Guru'.
But how the heck is it supposed to work in practice?
well my comment has not been posted... its the nitrogen thats to blame but someone who blocks this stuff dont want me explaining everything :-( "the new world order"
the unelecled stasi of eurorpe
Our current Co2 levels are insagnificant to where they have been in the past.
Co2 is not responsble,what is responsible for climate change is No2 (nitrogen oxide)
its nitrogen that keeps the climate (atmosphere too) stable.
the nitrogen levels have been destabilised in part by "Enviromentalists" with no brains who rappidly legislated to stop cfc's for the ozone hole
The replacement not only has done little to stop the damage to the ozone (O3) layer but it actually has stopped it repairing and destabalised the No2 balance.
Go and learn about chemistry & gasses then petition for action;not scream its the end of the when theres a solar eclipse or a end of a calander period (myan calander) loons.
I think these climate change zealots are dangerous!(isn't Milliband scary!)
Why have we got to cripple our industry,(what's left of it) heap more "green" taxes on people,populate what's left of our countryside with ineffecient wind "farms",promote useless electric cars,and all the other "carbon friendly" initiatives?Whatever the UK does will have no impact at all.There's more green house gases produced naturally,from forest fires,volcanoes,and the rest,than are produced by the UK.Just stop cutting the forests down,that will be a much more useful thing to do.The Earth has always had these hot and cold cycles and whatever we do is will make very little difference,one way or the other.
sounds like Stalin's Russia
Just read the title,
'ALL BRITS'
We are all becoming mushrooms in this country, you know the rest, Keep us in the dark and feed us cr$p.
Would the big companies be given a 'ration', would supermarkets and other premises be forced to put lights out when they are closed.
Sending statements out, now if i'm right that means more transport to get them to your door but thats ok because its more business for the post office.
Theres too many contradictions in this global warming scam and the scary thing is theres too many people ready to believe it.
Dry your laundry on a washing line.....if I couldnt laugh about it I would cry.
So, a group of converts needing a dose of reality.
CO2 does NOT cause climate change. Go to bed saying this, just as our grandparents used to recite the Lord's Prayer.
There is an irreducible natural amount of CO2 in the troposphere. The man made bit is small compared with this. But much more important is the sheer amount of water vapour, augmented by a large amount of natural methane. If you don't know the significance of this, then you should not be babbling on about climate change.
If you really are hooked on the idea of "reducing emissions" - one fo the biggest scams ever perpetrated on mankind, then there's little anyone can do about it. But beware. The "Second Coming" is much more likely than a climatic catastrophe caused by CO2.
At last someone is talking about climate change measures that just might start to have a significant effect on our behaviour!
I read that we need a CO2 concentration in the atmosphere of 350 parts per million or less for life to continue in anything like its current form on the planet. The trouble is we are already ABOVE this level of concentration. We need measures that will REDUCE this atmospheric concentration, not just reduce the amount of C02 that we continue to pump into the atmosphere.
Yoy cannot be serious ! What a load of cobblers