'Carbon credit cards' and 'carbon market' on agenda

A "zero carbon" Britain could be achieved by 2027 if a range of measures were brought in by a government with "strong political leadership", scientists said today.

The main proposal made by the Centre for Alternative Technology report is for the creation of a carbon market based on Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs).

People would carry their quota of "carbon credits" on an environmental smart card, and have them topped up every year.

But as the country draws closer to 2027, the overall, and therefore also the individual quota, would be reduced.

Also every time consumers used fossil fuels, say by filling their cars up with petrol, they would lose credits.

Credits could be bought from other people and companies but as the years go by they would become more and more expensive.

The resulting market would drive environmental change providing the economic incentive to produce green products.

Products that emit too much carbon would become obsolete due to their expense to people's energy quota.

Power for transport would switch almost entirely to electricity, with the result that fuel-driven cars and air travel would become too expensive for most people.

Meanwhile, the food market will also change dramatically, with much more local supply and the end of bulk distribution nationwide.

Diet will also shift, according to the report, as meat production needs 10 times more energy than fruit and vegetables.

Changes driven by the TEQs would help to reduce energy use in Britain by around half, but the other important factor in reaching zero emissions comes from supply.

The report suggests the bulk of electricity supply would come from an "armada" of tens of thousands of wind turbines built off Britain's shores.

Further power would come from wave, tidal and solar power with a small and diminishing supply coming from the nuclear sector.

Biofuels could also be harnessed to drive efficient combined heat and power stations, the authors say.

The resulting power generation would need to be managed carefully due to the unpredictable nature of most renewables.

This would include storing or exporting surplus power and even allowing parked electric cars to link up with the grid to "sell back" unused electricity in their batteries.