In Scotland we each produce about 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) a year (that’s about 3.4 tonnes of solid carbon). To see other countries per capita emissions, visit this website: Global CO2 Emissions.

In order to ensure we stay below 2°C "safe" global warming, we need to reduce our CO2 emissions from 12 tonnes to 1 tonne. This calculation has been based on ensuring equitable energy use by every person on the planet in 2050 on a mid-range projected global population prediction of 9 billion. It looks like this…..

In order to understand what we need to do, we need to know exactly how much and where we are spending our carbon, so that we don’t save in it one area only to blow it in another! Example: saving £100 off your gas bill through improving your insulation and turning your heating down may save 1.3 tonnes of CO2, but buying a new CD player with that saved money could blow up to 2 tonnes of CO2 that has been used as energy in its manufacture. And then there is the energy in its running and eventual disposal to be considered!

These figures have been calculated to show the inherent CO2 in everything that we consume – and all service and manufacturing CO2 has been included in the appropriate band. Example, Recreation and Leisure is all the CO2 that is emitted in making films, in manufacturing TVs, in heating swimming pools, in going on holiday and consuming suncream… but the energy consumed whilst watching TV will come under household electricity.

• Education CO2 is predominantly heating and lighting
• Hygiene is predominantly our health service and water
• Aviation equates here to about 2 short haul (internal) flights, or one mid-haul flight (for example, to Greece)
• Food carbon comes in packaging, food miles, production (fertilizers, pesticides, heating, cooling and feeds) processing, storage, and product display energy consumption. It is also our trips to the supermarket
• Clothing carbon comes in the production of the crop or fibres, the creation of the garment, the advertising, the product storage, transport and packaging, the in-store energy costs whilst it sits on the shelf.and your trip to the shops! But, it doesn’t include the energy cost of each time you wash and iron it! That comes under household electricity