The Leicester Climate Change Strategy has investigated just how much our city contributes to global warming. It focuses upon how much carbon dioxide is produced by our homes, transport, commerce and industry. This all adds up to about 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and that figure looks set to rise.
Industry has been responsible for generating the most carbon dioxide in the past - nearly one third - but their emissions show signs of gradually declining. On the other hand, residents are responsible for about a quarter of all the carbon dioxide produced in Leicester and these emissions are predicted to continue rising, as well as those generated by transport and commerce.
The amount of carbon dioxide we produce individually will vary enormously from one person to another. Factors such as whether you drive a car or fly to long-haul destinations can make a dramatic difference.
The average family, with two children, a home with the usual range of appliances and central heating and one family car, which they drive 10,000 miles a year, might produce about 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide in just one year. If you imagine this as one big bubble of gas, then it would be about 25 metres high and 25 metres wide.
Heating uses up the most energy in our homes, heating our rooms produces the most carbon dioxide, followed by heating water. We also use up energy for our lighting and appliances. Together, this represents about a third of our carbon dioxide production.
Transport is another major factor. A family car with an annual mileage of 10,000 miles can produce about five tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. And although flying is a form of public transport, aeroplanes require an incredible amount of fuel to get off the ground and stay there. A return flight for one person from England to India can create nearly two tonnes of carbon dioxide alone!
Our personal contribution to climate change is also affected by all the food and products we buy. The food in supermarkets comes from all over the world and a huge amount of fuel is used to bring these goods to our doorstep – even though many of them could be available locally. We live in a very throwaway society where we are constantly replacing items to keep up with the latest fashions and throwing the old ones away, which will eventually end up in landfill sites.