Carbon footprint website launched

Environment Secretary David Miliband said there was a growing interest in reducing greenhouse gases as he launched a new website offering a personal “carbon footprint” calculation.

He said “more and more people” were realising the “dangerous place” represented by climate change, especially when they thought about the future of their children and grandchildren.

“I think more and more people do recognise, especially when they think about their kids or their grandchildren, that there are big problems being stored up for the future and actually there are simple ways to make a difference,” he told GMTV.

He was speaking as an online calculator that enables people to work out their carbon footprint using Government-recognised data and calculations was launched.

Mr Miliband said his own individual carbon footprint, calculated in eight or nine minutes on the website, was 2.76 tonnes, below the national average of more than four tonnes.

He said he had believed that this footprint might be just over three tonnes as there had been a difficulty registering a flight to Ireland.

“I came out better than I expected,” he said.

Mr Miliband unveiled the new calculator at an eco-friendly internet cafe in central London.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said it means people can reliably calculate their carbon footprint from home energy appliances and transport, and choose to calculate either their own personal footprint or their household’s.

The calculator then develops a personalised action plan for users, with steps they can take to cut their emissions.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/(Defra)