Swipe-card plan to ration consumers' carbon use

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell () ncl ac uk>
Date: July 19, 2006 5:16:10 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Swipe-card plan to ration consumers' carbon use

Dave:

From today's (UK) Guardian, for IP if you wish.

cheers

Brian

----

> Swipe-card plan to ration consumers' carbon use
>
> David Adam, environment correspondent
> Wednesday July 19, 2006
> The Guardian
>
> A radical plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions by rationing the  
> carbon use of individuals is being drawn up by government  
> officials. The scheme could force consumers to carry a swipe card  
> that records their personal carbon allocation, with points knocked  
> off each time they buy petrol or tickets for a flight.
>
> Under the scheme, all UK citizens from the Queen down would be  
> allocated an identical annual carbon allowance, stored as points on  
> an electronic card similar to Air Miles or supermarket loyalty  
> cards. Points would be deducted at point of sale for every purchase  
> of non-renewable energy. People who did not use their full  
> allocation, such as families who do not own a car, would be able to  
> sell their surplus carbon points into a central bank.
>
> Article continues
> High energy users could then buy them - motorists who had used  
> their allocation would still be able to buy petrol, with the carbon  
> points drawn from the bank and the cost added to their fuel bills.  
> To reduce total UK emissions, the overall number of points would  
> shrink each year.
>
> David Miliband, the environment secretary, is keen to set up a  
> pilot scheme to test the idea, and has asked officials from four  
> government departments to report on how it could be done.
>
> The move marks the first serious step towards state-enforced limits  
> on the carbon use of individuals, which scientists say may be  
> necessary in the fight against climate change. It extends the  
> principle of carbon trading - already in place between heavy  
> polluters such as power companies and steel makers - to consumers,  
> with heavy carbon users forced to buy unused allowances from people  
> with greener lifestyles.
>
> The principle was included in the government's review of energy  
> policies, which said a new cross-departmental group "will examine  
> what new policy options, such as tradable personal carbon  
> allowances, could be deployed to stimulate local action". Mr  
> Miliband will announce more details in a speech tonight to the  
> Audit Commission. He will say: "It is easy to dismiss the idea as  
> too complex administratively or too much of a burden for citizens.  
> But in the long term there may be potential to make a system work  
> effectively and in a way that is arguably more equitable, more  
> empowering and more effective than the traditional tools of  
> information, tax and regulation."
>
> Colin Challen, Labour chairman of the all-party parliamentary group  
> on climate change, which has called for carbon rationing, said: "It  
> will inevitably have to be introduced so that consumers, along with  
> other sectors, take responsibility for what they do." But setting  
> up a local pilot scheme could have problems - not least how to stop  
> people driving elsewhere to fill up. Mr Challen said: "An island  
> like the Isle of Wight would be an obvious place for a pilot  
> scheme, though I'm not sure how happy they would be with that."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1823853,00.html


--
School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK
EMAIL = Brian.Randell () ncl ac uk   PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
FAX = +44 191 222 8232  URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/


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