This is not my... Interview
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Greg King
Founder, Clapham CRAG (Carbon Rationing Action Group).
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What is a CRAG?
CRAG stands for Carbon Rationing Action Group. The first CRAG started last year in Warwickshire. A couple of people had read about the carbon quota theory and decided that they were going to take some practical action. That lead to where we are now.
There are 3 CRAG’s up and running. Our Clapham one is the first in London but there should be one or two more starting fairly soon.
It is the first system of individual carbon rationing in the UK. Though it can be called different things. The first guy who came up with the theory was called Meyer Hillman. He called it carbon rationing for its war time connotations, in order to highlight the predicament we are in and to create a sense of urgency. There are other organisations that prefer to use different terms such as quota or allowance.
What do the individuals in a CRAG have to do?
The individuals need to record their carbon emissions in order to use only their quota. The London group is the first one to include public transport emissions and so for us we total up all of our public and private transport trips as well as our household emissions.
We will be keeping our gas and electricity bills and taking the relevant information off them. On a monthly basis we calculate how much each of us emits and what our remaining quota will be for the rest of the year.
How much is the quota?
Research was done into the average UK carbon emission rate which came out, I believe, as 5.4 tonnes. (Though this figure is variable depending on whether you are measuring carbon or carbon dioxide.) The CRAG's use this amount as a basis.
Other research shows that overall the UK needs to be emitting 90% less C02 by 2030. These numbers tend to change but are all based on the principle of staying within 2 degrees centigrade of our current temperature, beyond which we open ourselves up to catastrophic climate change.
(Worldwide this requires a 60% reduction in C02 emissions and in the UK that equates to a 90% reduction.)
So the guys who started the first CRAG took these scientific findings and calculated what individuals will need to do to reduce there emissions in line with this.
They found that we need to gradually reduce emissions by around 10% each year.
The first cut will therefore be the biggest and means that members of the CRAG’s can only use 4.4 tonnes in 2006/7. This will be followed by further 10% cuts year on year.
Only time will tell whether it is possible to keep reducing emissions like this.
Will there be scope in the future to add other things I.e. the distance that food has traveled?
The second group in Birmingham have been looking at including food miles but without a proper system in place this is complicated. I don’t know how you would work the numbers out. Apparently, though, food can be half of your emissions and so it would be good to have it included.
The other thing that I think is relevant to this type of scheme is Peak Oil. Something that very few people know about.
Peak Oil is when the supply of oil peaks. After this point the world's supply declines.
We have been climbing a mountain in terms of oil supply but we will come to a point very soon, if we are not there now, when we get to the top and begin to come down the other side. The decline in oil supply will change the world.
So, as well as environmentally, economically is it imperative that we cut our usage as soon as possible?
Yes. Hand in hand with the supply reductions demand is set to rise. China and India are looking to access the same amount of oil that we currently enjoy.
This supply and demand shift is going to affect everything.
For example, the creation of food is very energy intensive and so the price of food will shoot up at the same time that pressure to use crops to make bio fuels rises.
There may end up being direct competition between the car drivers of the Western world and the hungry in other areas.
It is really an incredible time and so any scheme we have to reduce energy use in an organised way is very positive. I think increasingly peak oil will take over as the main concern we have in relation to energy use.
The potential problem of peak oil may be a good way of getting people to take action for the environment. It has an immediacy and we can work to diminish the effects of both at the same time.
Has this type of group been set up anywhere else in the world?
I am not aware of it being anywhere else. The UK is one of the leaders in academic thinking on carbon reductions and so it started here.
The two key theories are:
Reducing individual carbon emissions through a tax and regulatory model or one based on quotas.
There are arguments about how different these two approaches actually are. Some think that they are diametrically opposed and others that both are simple economic tools for carbon reduction.
Regardless, there are a couple of things that a quota system does have in its favour.
Firstly, it is transparently equitable in a way that tax and regulation has difficulty being.
In a well communicated quota system everybody knows that everybody else has the same share they do. Taxes are more complicated.
It may be that the only way people are going to take real action on this is if they know that everyone else is in the same boat and that their efforts to reduce carbon are being reciprocated.
If they are not then there is an understandable attitude of “what is the use of me doing anything if everyone else is driving more and flying more”.
This is particularly the case with businesses. They are unlikely to do something that will damage their economic competitiveness if none of their competitors take similar steps.
The other thing about a quota system is that it can provide a stable long term approach to carbon reduction.
In a carbon quota system the intention is that the target will remain constant throughout. It can be set 10 or 20 years ahead so that people know what is coming.
Taxes are made in the shorter term and can be changed depending on the economic circumstances of the day.
If the carbon reduction target is constant then it means that plans can be set and there is more control for individuals and businesses. It sets a goal but allows for people to achieve it the best way they can.
How has the idea of carbon rationing been viewed by influential figures?
David Milliband gave a speech a few weeks ago where he was very enthusiastic about exploring the idea of individual carbon quotas.
I have spoken personally to his special advisor, Tony Grayling, who has assured me that it is not all hot air and that DEFRA are very keen to see that this idea is properly tested.
At the moment there is interest in all sorts of academic schemes to reduce carbon emissions but the actual road map for reduction has not yet been set.
To test this type of quota system there will need to be a large scale and expensive pilot. Perhaps a city council or some other group taking part and operating with full economic involvement in the scheme. Some people have suggested that this kind of pilot might trialled on the Isle of Wight as it has natural boundaries.
What we have at the moment though is a bit of a gap between academic theory and a large-scale study of that type. That is where we hope that CRAG’s can deliver some helpful results and messages.
It is looking very positive.
The RSA - (The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce) are taking a lead on carbon reduction. They have a set up a range of projects all looking at this, as have other groups such as COIN (Climate Outreach and Information Network), Christian Aid and Sustrans. All of these groups are fairly well connected and make sure that they are all supporting each others initiatives.
Hopefully public and business support for this type of thing will also add value.
What are you doing to reduce your impact and keep under your CRAG quota?
I cycle to work and have made the decision not to fly until there is such time that a environmentally friendly airplane has been created. (THE BLIMP!! - Susie)
I have changed most of the light bulbs in the house to energy efficient. I took the fuse out of the plug for the tumble dryer so my flat mates can’t use it and asked them not to use the ridiculous old gas fire in the sitting room as we have a radiator right next to it.
It is a start but there are lots of things we can do.
(See here for more energy reducing actions.)
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