The government on Wednesday launched an online trial calculator that enables people to figure out their "carbon footprint" in order to better fight global warming.
The environment ministry said the calculator unveiled at an Internet cafe in London will enable people to determine how much carbon dioxide they produce as individuals or families from home energy appliances and transport.
"People can work out the impact of their actions and, with the tailored recommendations provided by the calculator, identify the best way to reduce their footprint," Environment Secretary David Miliband said at the launch.
The calculator then develops a personalised action plan for users, with steps they can take to cut their emissions.
"This calculator is a real innovation, using up-to-date authoritative data and recognised calculation methods," Miliband said.
"As the calculator improves and develops I want it to become the gold standard for calculating carbon dioxide emissions from individuals and families."
The Act on CO2 (carbon dioxide) calculator at www.direct.gov.uk offers a range of features including:
– The ability to customise to an individual or household.
– Ability to combine home, electrical appliances and personal travel factors in one calculator.
– Advice tailored to the information people give the calculator, rather than giving generic tips on reducing carbon dioxide.
– Recommendations on reducing and avoiding energy waste, not just offsetting it by proposing other actions such as planting trees.
The average Briton annually produces 4.48 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a so-called greenhouse gas because it traps heat inside the Earth's atmosphere.
According to research carried out by the environment ministry, 94 percent of Britons now believe that the world's climate is changing and 57 percent believe that the world is already experiencing the effects of global warming.
Sixty-six percent of people surveyed said they were already trying to take personal action to try to limit climate change.
The government said it plans to upgrade the calculator over the next few months, adding more features to make it even easier for people to calculate their carbon footprint.
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