Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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Miliband unveils CO2 calculator
An online calculator that enables people to work out their carbon footprint using government-recognised data and calculations was launched by Environment Secretary David Miliband at an eco-friendly internet cafe in Central London today.
Using the calculator, 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.
Mr Miliband said:
"Around two thirds of people are already taking action to try to limit climate change - but there is a lot of confusion about what people can do and how effective those changes actually are.
"We want to cut through that confusion. This carbon calculator will help people decide what they can do - and be sure it will make a difference. Using it, 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.
"This calculator is a real innovation - using up-to-date, authoritative data and recognised calculation methods. As the calculator improves and develops, I want it to become the gold standard for calculating CO2 emissions from individuals and families."
The Act on CO2 calculator can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/actonCO2, and includes a range of features, including:
* The ability to customise to an individual or household;
* Three areas of lifestyle - home, electrical appliances, and personal travel - brought together in one calculator;
* Advice tailored to the information people give the calculator, rather than giving generic CO2-saving tips;
* Recommendations on reducing and avoiding energy waste, not just offsetting it; and
* Reliable, transparent and regularly updated data.
The underlying software that runs the calculator's 'engine' will be made freely available under 'open source' licences, to enable others wanting to power their own calculators to use it, with their own branding.
Recent research commissioned by Defra has shown that 94% of people in Britain now believe that the world's climate is changing and 57% believe that we are already feeling the impacts of climate change. 66% of people surveyed said they were already trying to take personal action to try to limit climate change.
The calculator is a public 'trial' or beta version, and there are plans to develop and improve it using feedback and ideas from users. Further updates of the calculator will be released over the next few months with the addition of more features to make it even easier for people to calculate their carbon footprint.
Notes to editors
1. The Government has developed the Act on CO2 calculator to help increase understanding of the link between individual action in the home and transport and climate change, through carbon dioxide emissions. It is also designed to increase awareness of the different actions people can take in their everyday lives to help tackle climate change.
2. Defra has developed the calculator, in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust and with help from other Government departments and organisations, including The Climate Group. Specialist IT firms EHS Brann and d::gen network limited carried out the technical work, with input from the Central Office of Information. Experts from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and AEA were also closely involved. With the support of the Government, the software developers d::gen network limited will be licensing the underlying software and algorithms that calculate the CO2 footprint under "open licenses" such as the GNU General Public License, Creative Commons or equivalents. For further information please go to http://blog.co2.dgen.net/ .
3. The calculator is part of Defra's Act on CO2-branded campaign which aims to make people aware of the link between their own everyday behaviour and climate change. More information can be found at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/index.htm
4. Information on the methodology for the calculator including data, factors and assumptions can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/individual/actonco2/index.htm
5. Feedback on the calculator can be emailed to calculator.feedback@defra.gsi.gov.uk.
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