Charlie, Carbon, and the Carrots
Prince Charles’s footprint has hit the headlines again. He is now officially ‘carbon neutral’.
Among the first to congratulate the next in line to the throne was Friends of the Earth Director, Tony Juniper:
The fact he reduced his carbon emissions by 9% in the last year alone highlights the potential for making rapid cuts in the nation’s contribution to climate change.
Tony has obviously been eating too many of Charlie’s rotten carrots and failed to read the small print:
The household’s carbon footprint was calculated at 3,425 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2006-2007.
Charles’s carbon footprint weighs more than most people’s houses. In fact, it weighs more than a small street. Tony should realise that the only reason Charlie is able to make these gestures is because he receives income from a vast estate of land, property and shares, and is extraordinarily well connected. Very few other farms or businesses in the country are in this position. All this says about the ‘potential for making rapid cuts in the nation’s contribution to climate change’ is that it’s only easy if you’re going to be king.