The Guardian reports on “A radical plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions by rationing the carbon use of individuals is being drawn up by government officials. The scheme could force consumers to carry a swipe card that records their personal carbon allocation, with points knocked off each time they buy petrol or tickets for a flight.”
Obviously, a plan like this is a trial balloon only, and may never happen, but it’s still very interesting that it’s even being floated. Definitely news from the future. As the world comes to grips with the possibility of serious climate change, expect many new proposals, and unexpected new applications of technology to try to address the problem. (Via Dave Farber’s IP List.)
(In this regard, O’Reilly author Brian McConnell began banging this drum back in 2004. Make copyediting chief Goli Mohammadi pointed out that he wrote two articles for the O’Reilly Network: Renewable Energy – The Next Opportunity for Silicon Valley and Hacking Your Way Off The Utility Grid.)