The Government want us to be more environmentally friendly. They want us to recycle more. The want us to decrease the amount of plastic bags we use. The want us to buy environmentally friendly appliances. They want us to repeat this mantra: “I must lower my ‘carbon footprint’”.
They also want us to eat no more then 6 grams of salt a day, eat 5 fruit and veg a day, excercise for an hour a day…. but thats a whole new tangent.
Basically, they want us to follow an abundance and “rules” and guidelines for our benefit. Indeed,they are beneficial, but are they setting guidelines beyond our reach?
Environmentalists are adament that the government should set a target for cutting carbon emissions to 80 per cent by 2050. But is that really realistic?
If you go to http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html – you can find out your carbon footprint (if you dont lie of course).
My one is 1.31 tones per year.
The national average is 4.48 tonnes per year.
The Government wants it to be lowered to 1.04 tonnes per year.
Thats a difference of 3.44 tonnes. And they expect us to bring that down in a mere 42 years.
Now, what the above website, or the government, doesnt actually tell you is the real figure of your “carbon footprint”. My real footprint is 6.31 tonnes per year because the government failed to add on the extra 5 tonnes they themselves (on things like public services) are producing extra per person.
So even if you try your hardest to lower your carbon footprint, cycle to work, recycle immensely…there will still be that 5 tonnes your labelled as producing.
So maybe it should be us saying… The people want the government to lower their emissions. They should find ways of reducing their carbon footprint. If they lead, we will follow.
