Memorandum submitted by Mr Andy Ross (CRED
10)
The EFRA Committee's question: How can individuals
and communities be encouraged to help tackle climate change, and
how can government make greener choices easier?
1. My name is Andy Ross and I am a member
of an informal network of voluntary carbon rationing groups, known
as CRAGs for short. This is a written contribution to the inquiry
and, as I live in Glasgow, I do not wish to apply to give oral
evidence before the Committee on 31 January.
2. We "CRAGgers" are implementing
at a local level the climate equity principles that underpin Contraction
and Convergence and personal carbon rationing. We concentrate
on carbon emissions that are directly under our control and easily
countable—namely household energy, car use and air travel.
These account for roughly 50% of UK emissions.
3. The network emerged in the first quarter
of 2006 and now includes around 100 individuals, in seven active
and seven nascent groups, spread across the country. We hope to
see the network grow in 2007. Our individual personal carbon emissions
(from the three sources mentioned in paragraph 2) vary between
one and 20 tonnes ie between one fifth and four times the national
average.
4. In this our first "carbon year",
we have been learning together how we can (and why we should)
move towards lower carbon living. More information about CRAGs
is included in the attached short summary. We also have a website
http://www.carbonrationing.org.uk/.
5. The remainder of this short submission
attempts to address some of the questions posed by the "citizen's
agenda" inquiry. It should be seen as a view rather
than the view from the CRAGs.
6>cf2>. Carbon footprinting. Calculating
the size and make-up of your personal carbon footprint involves
no more than primary level arithmetic but is the essential first
step on the carbon reduction journey. The calculation helps you
discover how far you need to travel to reach your sustainable
goal. But what is a sustainable personal carbon footprint? And
by when do we need to squeeze onto it? Similarly, the calculation
permits a comparison with current average national and global
personal carbon footprints. But how big are these? Confidence
in, and clear knowledge of, these facts can provide a powerful
moral motivation to "do one's bit".
Suggestion 1: The Government should fund
an annual national public information campaign highlighting IPCC
science-based measures of what a sustainable personal carbon footprint
looks like, by when it needs to be achieved in order to avoid
dangerous levels of global warming and how it compares with the
current national and global per capita emissions level
7. Crucially, for those who choose to undertake
it, the personal carbon footprint calculation helps identify in
what areas efficiency and reduction efforts will have the greatest
effect. While the calculation is straightforward, tracking down
all the appropriate CO2 conversions factors has proved a challenge
for CRAGs. The information is out there but unfortunately it is
scattered and not always consistent.
Suggestion 2: DEFRA should publish annually,
on one web page, a comprehensive set of conversion factors for
personal carbon emissions sources. An IPCC accepted radiative
forcing factor should be incorporated into the conversion factor
on air miles. I am sure CRAGs would be happy to compile a list
of the required factors or check a draft for completeness
8. Carbon visibility. Despite the
elementary nature of the personal carbon footprint calculation,
the non-committed section of the population will not bother to
undertake it. They may have taken note of the size of a sustainable
carbon footprint and the national and global averages, thanks
to the publicity campaigns (see Suggestion 1 above), but they
will remain unaware of how their own footprint shapes up to these.
One way of remedying this is for the Government to insist on carbon
visibility in the form of carbon labelling on all transactions
related to the three main sources of personal carbon emissions
mentioned previously, namely household energy, car use and air
travel.
Suggestion 3: Now that DEFRA has a comprehensive
list of CO2 conversion factors on its website (see Suggestion
2 above), Government can insist that businesses state clearly
on all energy bills, fuel receipts and air tickets the CO2 equivalent
of the purchase
9. Carbon cost. CRAGs not only "see"
their carbon emissions but also try to internalise the environmental
cost. The price of CO2 on the European carbon market is currently
less than 0.5p per kg CO2. This is hopelessly low and is the result
of a flawed allocation methodology. In 2006-07, most CRAGs have
gone for a penalty of 4p per kg for any personal CO2 emissions
over their agreed personal carbon ration. We can put this in context
of a consumer choice. A return to New Zealand (allowing for some
radiative forcing) causes around 12,000 kg CO2 per passenger.
Even if a CRAGger saved his/her entire 2006 ration of 4,500 kg
CO2, a trip to NZ would still push him/her 7,500 kg CO2 into the
red on his/her notional carbon account. The carbon debt he/she
would owe would amount to 7,500 kg x 4p per kg = £300. Will
this stick be strong enough to ensure total carbon debts in a
CRAG do not outweigh total carbon savings. We will find out at
the end of our carbon year. The results may be of interest to
UK carbon policy developers.
Suggestion 4: The EFRA committee should make
a request to all CRAGs to report on their end of year carbon accounts
as an example of how carbon aware citizens respond to more realistically
costed carbon
10. Final thoughts. This contribution
has not dwelt on the practicalities of reducing carbon emissions
from our homes although many CRAGgers have learnt a lot from each
other about the hierarchy of carbon saving expenditure. Turning
down the thermostat, switching off at the wall, fitting energy
saving bulbs, draft proofing doors and windows, improving insulation,
etc, must all come before the new boilers, solar thermal panels
and so on. This is because when CRAG members calculated their
carbon footprints, travel emissions have tended to loom as large
if not larger than household emissions. As time goes on these
latter may take centre stage. In this first year, the importance
of carbon footprint awareness has been the key lesson learnt.
This alone has prompted many to action. Some of us have given
up flying. Others have sold their car. Most of us are mainstream
citizens but ones that have woken up to the moral and practical
challenges we face in this new century. We are doing this carbon
rationing ourselves because our leaders are not leading.
Suggestion 5: All members of the EFRA committee
should join or start a local CRAG in their constituency to demonstrate
they are prepared to the "walk the talk" on climate
change. One MP has already started walking. Who's next, ladies
and gentlemen?
Mr Andy Ross
January 2007
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