Behind the Action Plan
Want to know more about our Action Plan? Here are our frequently asked questions
In this article
CO2 explained
As we are sure you’re aware, CO2 is short for carbon dioxide. However, our figures include all greenhouse gas emissions.
There are a number of gases, as well as CO2, that contribute to global warming such as methane and nitrous dioxide. All of these relevant emissions are included in our calculations and given what is known as a ‘CO2 equivalent’.
What do the figures mean?
The figures in the CO2 column indicate how much you can save by taking a particular action. These figures are based on very detailed data from John Barrett at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).
The SEI has developed a complex database of consumer habits and spending, the structures behind industrial sectors and the related emissions (More on John Barrett).
Alongside the C02 reduction figure, we have also allocated a cost and effort rating to each action. The cost rating is assigned as follows. Note that all of our figures have all been reduced to an individual level. For a household total, simply multiply by the number of adults in your home.
Pricing scale bands
Scale £ range
1 <100
2 100-250
3 250-750
4 750-2500
5 >2500
What assumptions have you made?
The figures in the Action Plan are based on someone who earns 15 per cent more than the average UK person (approximately £23,500). This produces a total figure for emissions of around 15 tonnes a year.
So, when you see a figure of 0.8 tonnes in the CO2 column, you could be saving around 5 per cent of your total emissions. It is worth keeping the 15 tonnes figure in mind when looking at the impact of different actions.
What does the Action Plan cover?
While BBC Green covers broader areas of ‘green’ or ‘ethical’ living, our Action Plan is clearly focused on reducing your greenhouse gas emissions.
Many people are thinking about cutting their emissions – largely due to the link between man-made carbon emissions and the causes of climate change. We have highlighted and prioritised the most effective carbon reducing actions you can take across four key areas:
- home
- travel
- food
- lifestyle
How accurate is the plan?
Everyone leads different lives, earns different amounts and buys different things. We didn’t want to ask you lots of questions about your life, so throughout the plan we have made assumptions.
The assumptions are based on the habits of the ‘average reader’. The aim is to provide an indicative picture of how the actions compare with one another, which should enable you to prioritise them.
Customise your plan
We wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to get started, so we’ve created three ready-made templates:
- beginner
- intermediate
- advanced
You can view ten actions at a time - when you have completed one, you can remove it from your list and add a new one.
Why haven’t you set me a target and told me how I am doing?
As current methodology stands, we feel it is too difficult to give you a truly accurate target without asking a lot of questions and performing a hugely complex data analysis.
For now, we felt our efforts were better spent giving you a solid indication of which actions can make the most difference in terms of C02 savings. We know you can't do everything, so the ability to rank the actions seemed more valuable than a fixed target.
As a rough guideline, if you were to do everything in our Action Plan, you could save around 40% of your emissions.
How did you put the plan together?
In the course of our research, we consulted and worked with a large number of leading sources on climate change.
The BBC Green team involved in the Action Plan were:
Publisher: Will Watt
Editor: Paul Allen
Online strategist: Andrew Zincke
Sub-editor: Ruth Harwood
Our expert panel, which ultimately helped to decide and rank each action, comprised four highly respected environmental commentators.
John Barrett at the Stockholm Environment Institute
All of the science behind the Action Plan, in the form of emissions calculations, has been provided by John Barrett at the SEI. The SEI is an independent, international research institute that was set up by the Swedish government.
Since 1989 the SEI has specialised in sustainable development and environment issues. It works at local, national, regional and global policy levels, and it is a non-profit and non-partisan research institute.
John and the SEI helped put together the World Wildlife Fund’s carbon footprint calculator
Chris Goodall
It took Chris Goodall 25 years to realise that he was completely unsuited to business. He now writes about climate change, though he still acts as chairman of a growing software company and as a member of the Competition Commission.
Goodall's book on individuals and global warming, How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, won the 2007 Clarion award for non-fiction. New Scientist described it as ‘the definitive guide to reducing your carbon emissions’.
Chris is the Green Party’s candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon at the next general election.
Dr Matt Prescott
Dr Matt Prescott obtained his PhD from Oxford and is a specialist in Australian ecology. He became involved in the public understanding of science when he organised the Oxford Earth Summit in 2002.
This event lead to the production of a useful links website for the UN's World Summit and to writing Earth-info.net, one of the first environmental weblogs in the world.
In February 2005, Matt founded the Ban The Bulb energy efficiency campaign, which promoted the taxing, phasing out and banning of incandescent light bulbs. Matt was also the researcher for George Monbiot's climate change book Heat: How to Stop the World Burning.
Duncan Clark
Duncan Clark is a writer and editor specialising in environment and technology. During his years as an editor at Rough Guides, he wrote The Rough Guide to Ethical Living and edited The Rough Guide to Climate Change, among other titles.
Duncan is currently commissioning editor for environmental imprint GreenProfile at Profile publishing house.
Aside from books, Duncan is a policy advisor to rainforest charity Cool Earth and is co-owner of a low-energy light bulb business.
What if I have done everything?
If you did everything on the plan, you would cut your emissions by:
- Homes – 44% compared with the average UK person.
- Travel – 35%.
- Food – 67%.
- Consumer goods – 40%.
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