Trials begin for real-time personal carbon calculator

Carbon calculations could prompt more environmentally-friendly behaviour

BP, loyalty scheme Nectar and IT supplier Atos Origin are supporting a project to provide real-time calculations of individuals' personal carbon emissions.

The five-month trial organised by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Art, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) will be open to 1000 participants and will produce a picture of their individual carbon footprints.

The scheme aims to raise awareness of how people personally affect the environment, said Matt Prescott, director of the project at the RSA.

“With almost half of all UK carbon emissions relating to behavioural decisions made by individuals, the role of citizens in moving to a low carbon future is vital,” he said.

“We are undertaking this innovative trial to understand how a personal carbon trading scheme could operate in practice, and gain some understanding about how people will interact with it, helping to take the debate about personal carbon trading forward.”

Volunteers will receive carbon credits to cover their emissions and each time they refuel at a BP petrol station using their Nectar loyalty card, carbon credits will be deducted in real-time from their account.

Volunteers can review their usage on an online acount and use them as virtual currency to trade with others.

IT services supplier Atos Origin has designed and built processing systems at all BP forecourts in the UK and will manage the transfer of information to the RSA's carbon trading platform, which will calculate the carbon credits according to the grade and volume of fuel purchased.