Moving into a greener gear

02/11/2006

Cars raise various ethical issues. They account for around a fifth of the UK's greenhouse gases with a typical vehicle producing its own weight in CO2 for every 6000 miles driven. Moreover car emissions include a cocktail of noxious fumes which in the UK alone contributes to around 25000 premature deaths each year.

And that's not to mention road accidents (more Brits have died on roads since 1945 than were killed in World War II) and the questionable ethical records of many oil and car companies.

You can alarmingly watch the environmental and human costs of our driving increasing in real time at www.roadsafety.co.uk.

Your choice of car and how you drive it can have a big impact on your carbon footprint. Duncan Clark explains how you can limit the damage you cause when you take to the road.