Government action needed for over 50s' reduction of carbon footprint

The report aptly entitled: "Greening the Greys" has found that people over 50 and under 64 have a carbon footprint of 13.52 tonnes per capita per year while the average for the UK is 11.81. A survey was conducted of over 700 people over 50 in North Yorkshire.

Factors which contribute to over 50s carbon overload are eating out, holidays abroad and high car usage.

However this does not mean that they are unaware of environmental issues. They worry about the future of the global ecology and would like their grandchildren to inherit a more ecologically stable world.

The figures for people over 65 and under 74 was found to be 12.10 tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita per year. However for over 75s although the figure goes down to 11.11 tonnes it is the high heating usage of this age group which has the most environmental impact.

Those over 50 often feel that the government should actively enable every citizen, not just older people, to reduce their carbon footprint. The report recommends that the government help all age groups make improvements to their carbon footprint. These include investment in efficient, affordable public transport, a new packaging waste tax to persuade manufacturers to reduce levels of packaging and instituting energy efficient heating in UK housing stock.

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