News Article - 22 May 2012
Category: Environment

The government is being urged to make it "cheaper and easier to go green", with a growing number of businesses turning to carbonaccounting software in order to cut costs and improve their carbon footprint.

According to Friends of the Earth, politicians need to do more to encourage businesses and individuals to tackle climate change.

Neil Verlander suggests that everyone can play a part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but he insists that "the onus must not just be on individuals to take action, we need government action too".

He stated: "The greenest options should be the cheapest and easiest option and too often that is not the case. We need to encourage people by urging them to go green but also by sending price signals that tackling climate change is the best thing."

The United Nations Environment Programme recommends that airline passengers reduce the weight of goods to save up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year, while switching from regular 60-Watt light bulbs to energy-saving ones produces four times less greenhouse gas emissions.

A report on climate change by economist Sir Nicholas Stern suggested that the global warming will reduce the world's gross domestic product (GDP) by at least five per cent a year if no action is taken to combat the problem.

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