David Cameron's Diary

I have been writing recently about negating the effects of Carbon around car mileage and advocated http://www.targetneutral.com as a good starting point.

What that site lacks though is the ability to calculate one's total Carbon footprint, including domestic fuels and holidays. I have come across this site "Erase my Footprint" this evening and it is something that I am definitely going to research further as I am shocked to see the Executive Summary of the full Stern Report commissioned by the UK Government talking of mass flooding in some areas, famine and up to 40% extinction of animal species.

The report shows that if nothing is done, then the modelling indicates that temperatures could increase by 2-5C by the end of this century with calamitous effects. Now, whilst I will not be around towards the second half of the century, I sincerely hope that my daughters are, and I do not want to go to my grave having not done my bit to ensure that I have done everything in my power to avoid my presence destroying the planet.

I am taking a measured approach to this and don't want to just land in the first scheme to eliminate my entire household Carbon footprint, but it was eye opening to find that I, as a heavy energy user and driving a large vehicle ~16,000p.a. with a hypothetical long-haul holiday each year for the family of 4 would need to plant 22 trees each year to erase the footprint at a relatively modest cost of ~£220pa considering the stakes involved.

That's not that much to pay if you think that it is protecting your child's future and who wouldn't do everything they could to protect their children.

The one fly in the ointment.......is everyone else so concerned as I am and will they look to make the commitment necessary to preserve the planet?

China is looking to bring hundreds of coal fired power stations with presumably devastating effects on climate and the USA as the biggest Industrialised nation on Earth has still to ratify the Kyoto agreement.

Clearly this is a multi-national issue and needs some determined negotiations to bring everyone to the same place at the table and put measures in place that take an appropriate proportion of GDP and redeploy it to good effect.

Labels: Carbon neutral, carbon offsetting, China, climate change, environment, Kyoto, USA

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