Carbon Pledge

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A Carbon Pledge is a voluntary statement made by an individual or organisation to reduce their direct or indirect emissions of carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for global Climate change. Most pledges are made as part of a formal Carbon Pledge Scheme (sometimes known as a Climate Change Pledge Scheme) typically run by an NGO or a local authority. The majority of schemes are web based, although some run in local communities and rely on pledge cards.

A well designed carbon pledge scheme should include at least the following elements:

  • A way of calculating the pledger's existing carbon footprint
  • Advice on ways in which this footprint may be reduced
  • A choice of methods and levels of reduction, rather than a simple "stop doing this"
  • Estimates of carbon savings if the pledges are implemented
  • A review mechanism on a realistic timescale

Ideally schemes should also include links to information about Climate Change, and a way for the organiser of the scheme to collect data to estimate the overall impact of the Scheme.

In June 2008, the UK's Department of Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a Best Practice Guide to Designing and Operating Climate Change Pledge Schemes. This document sets out a recommended series of steps for organisations planning to set up carbon pledge schemes, but at a late stage omitted guidance on how to calculate total savings.

Pledge Schemes in the UK

Among the pledge schemes running in the UK are:

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