Rationing Carbon

In the UK, carbon trading may soon get personal. Plans are afoot to launch a pilot program whereby individual consumers would be given identical carbon rations and a swipe card to track their non-renewable energy purchases. Anytime they gassed up, say, or booked a flight, points would be deducted from their account accordingly. Those who used less than their allotment could sell the surplus back to the bank and those who wished to use more than their share would have to buy up the credits. In order to reduce total emissions, the national ration would diminish each year. Simple enough in outline, but the devil will no doubt take refuge in the details.