[IP] Swipe-card plan to ration consumers' carbon use
Begin forwarded message:
From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: July 19, 2006 5:16:10 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Swipe-card plan to ration consumers' carbon use
Dave:
From today's (UK) Guardian, for IP if you wish.
cheers
Brian
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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@xxxxxxxxx PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
FAX = +44 191 222 8232 URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/
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