Do as I say, not as I do

With the Climate Conference in Paris upon us we’re being urged by the assorted great and good attending to change our ways. All well and good – we do need to consume less to help achieve a carbon-free economy asap. But we might also ask what example those assorted great and good are setting.

Take our Duke, lawd bless him. He’s keen on saving the forests and walking lightly on the earth. So what’s been happening to his own greenhouse gas emissions?

In 2014-15 the http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/media/annual-review/annual-review-2015greenhouse gases emitted by the Duke of Cornwall’s household rose by 10%, to 1,619 tons. This was on top of a smaller rise of 2% in 2013-14. This figure doesn’t even include all those official overseas trips, which in 2014-15 added another 1,818 tons.

And it doesn’t include the global warming effect of the Duchy’s agenda at Newquay

The growth in hot air greenhouse gases from the Duke’s household comes at a time when domestic carbon emissions in the UK are falling. (Although that doesn’t allow for all the consumer junk we import from China, thus allowing us to blame the Chinese for selling it to us.)

The average UK household emits around nine (9) tons of greenhouse gases.