Carbon emissions are the primary cause of climate change, which, if unchecked, threatens catastrophic consequences for both environmental health and human safety around the world.
We know what an acceptable concentration of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) should be if we are to stabilise the climate and minimise these risks. There are many ways of achieving this, from the use of low carbon technology to an expanded renewable energy supply. The role of citizens in moving to a low carbon future is vital, as consumer demand on the market, managing their own lifestyle impacts and as well as support for government action.
In a 3 year project, the RSA is exploring the idea for personal carbon trading, originally described by David Fleming in 1996. CarbonLimited is bringing together expertise from the commercial, social and financial sectors to subject ideas about personal carbon trading to rigorous analysis.
The project has so far been investigating how a personal carbon trading scheme might function, as well as analysing its potential social and economic impacts.
