Please drive smarter to save the planet

Once again, the government has put the onus on the general public to reduce carbon monoxide output.As the government launched its Act on CO2 climate change campaign, transport minister Gillian Merron "urged" motorists to take action to cut down on CO2 emissions from their cars.The campaign "encourages" motorists to "drive smarter" in a way that improves fuel consumption, giving tips on its website on how to drive smarter and even giving people an online game they can play to see what would happen if they followed the tips. A calculator enables them to work out how much money they could save if they drove smarter. To drive smarter you should: * make sure your tyres are pumped up correctly* change up a gear earlier if you can* reduce the load your car carries. The government said that if all drivers in the UK followed these tips, CO2 emissions from cars could be reduced by 8 per cent or over 5.5million tonnes a year, "saving" motorists more than £2bn a year in fuel costs.Merron said: "Climate change will affect us all, but we can all do our bit to help tackle it. Little changes can make a big difference - and this campaign is all about giving drivers practical tips to help them make that real difference. Put quite simply, the way we drive can help to reduce our impact on the environment and by using less fuel, motorists can save money too." Environment Secretary David Miliband said: "The new cross-government 'Act on CO2' brand will inspire people to reduce their CO2 emissions, and we will be rolling the campaign out in the spring to enable individuals to think about changing their behaviours to adopt a lower carbon lifestyle and help tackle climate change." * No action on delivering low-carbon communities is not an option, the Town and Country Planning Association said as consultation on the Planning Policy Statement (PPS1) ended.TCPA director (policy & projects) Robert Shaw said: “There is no doubt that the draft policy statement gives communities tremendous scope to put climate change at the heart of planning policy and decision-making. For many in planning, this agenda may seem daunting. Effective guidance and on-going support will help them rise to the challenge and create the communities of the future.“Generating and supplying energy in a sustainable way, close to the people who use it, is a fundamental part of reducing carbon emissions. But this is not the whole story. Adapting to climate change is now equally important. Urban areas are becoming hotter, and the effects will be felt most at higher densities. Temperatures of 40oC plus could be a regular occurrence in some parts of our cities in the coming decades. Research shows that green spaces and tree cover have a natural cooling effect. Increasing tree cover by just 10 per cent could keep temperatures at today’s levels until at least mid-century. Therefore, urban greening will need to become an integral part of new and existing communities if they are to remain places people want to live”.