Carbon Rationing in the Future?

The Future?

Last month, I wrote a post about our carbon footprint and how we need to do better. All of us. And I raised the possibility of one solution being carbon rationing. It seems a radical concept, but is it?

Right now, we have carbon taxes, a controversial subject that affects some of us more than others. In BC, our gasoline prices are quite high because we have a high carbon tax. In Alberta, gasoline prices are much lower because they don't have a significant carbon tax. A carbon tax is also not ideal because it disproportionately affects the poor more than the wealthy. When you have money to burn... a carbon tax on gasoline doesn't impact you as much as it would someone who is on a tight budget.

Carbon rationing on the other hand would affect everyone the same. And no, there would be no carbon trading allowed. Because carbon trading, again, affects the poor more than the wealthy.

UK WW2 Ration Book

When I tossed the idea of carbon rationing out there... I was basing that more on my knowledge of rationing in the UK during the Second World War. People received a ration book and you had a set amount of sugar, meat, milk, clothing, etc that you could purchase. It was a pretty basic system with a paper ration book and little detachable squares that you would hand to the merchant as you purchased your ration of sugar. German had the same thing.

This system was accepted by most of the populace because it affected everyone equally. Everyone, rich or poor, was in the same boat. You didn't get a bigger ration if you were wealthy. You got the same ration of meat as the next person. 

I did a bit more research into this idea and... it's a thing. It's actually been trialed in Finland and Australia! Imagine opening an app on your phone each morning and checking your carbon footprint. And seeing how each and every trip in your car impacts your carbon budget. And no... there is no "carbon credit card" where you buy now and pay later. Although maybe there will be "lay away"... where you save your carbon allowance for a big trip? Interesting ideas...

The idea of carbon rationing has been around for a while. In 2006, David Miliband, then UK Environment Secretary, suggested it as a way to engage the average person in addressing climate change. But a subsequent investigation by the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reported that a scheme to track everyone’s carbon use was too costly, unproven and lacked public support. DEFRA concluded that carbon rationing was “an idea currently ahead of its time”. 

That was almost 20 years ago... perhaps it's time has come? Or maybe it's a carbon tracking scheme.... where you track how much carbon you are emitting. Because, honestly... we really have no idea how much carbon a trip to the grocery store "costs". But what if we did? What if we could then make smarter choices?

Carbon rationing would be a pretty draconian measure... but those times might come. And with technology's leaps and bounds... it might be a lot easier to track than a paper booklet. What if, on your store receipt... you could see the carbon cost of that whole chicken that you bought from the grocery store? What if it was all tracked automatically? I know, I know... Big Brother is watching. I hate to tell you this... but they are already watching.

What if carbon rationing is the only way that we can save our children and grandchildren from a desolate future of runaway climate change? Would you make that sacrifice for your children? Our grandparents made that sacrifice during the Second World War. What makes us think that we are exempt or immune from something similar? To save the planet. And our future.

Because right now... we are all in a HUGE carbon debt. All of us. And there is no way to declare carbon bankruptcy. The consequences aren't simply... oops... you lose your house and now you get no credit cards for 7 years. Our carbon debt has global implications.

Move aside Bitcoin... maybe the future is Carboncoin. And if it is... we should all start practicing how to track our spending and balance our budget with our own personal finances... It's somewhere to start.

More Reading

BBC - Can rationing carbon help fight climate change? - 2020
New Republic - The Climate Case for Carbon Rationing - 2023
Nature - Personal Carbon Allowances Revisited - 2021
Resilience - The Best Climate Policy You’ve Probably Never Heard Of - 2022
Globe & Mail - The Climate Crisis is like a world war - so let's talk about rationing - 2019