British environment minister, David Miliband, today unveiled a radical plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by regulating the amount of carbon they emit. By using a swipe card, individuals use of eco-friendly and eco-unfriendly goods will be monitored and restricted/promoted. The Guardian says:
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.
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.
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