Following the lead of PepsiCo, Tesco, and Quaker Oats, food purchased in UK supermarkets will soon be labeled to show its carbon footprint , including country of origin, how much carbon was produced in its manufacturing and transportation, and compliance with animal welfare standards.

The Carbon Trust, an independent company established by the British government in response to the impact of climate change, is working with businesses as well as the private sector to help reduce carbon emissions and develop low-carbon technologies.  The Carbon Trust is working with the UK food industry to help manufacturers determine and label the carbon footprint of various items.

In 2007, Walkers Crisps, a PepsiCo product, became the first consumer brand in the world to carry Carbon Trust’s Carbon Reduction Label in the UK.  Quaker Oats and Quaker Simple, also part of PepsiCo, based in Purchase, New York, also carry the Carbon Trust Reduction Label. (more…)

A period of extremely cold, windless weather has brought home to the British the drawbacks of relying on wind power and the need to keep a supply of natural gas in reserve. While the cold spell has strained natural gas supplies, leading in some cases to cutoffs to industrial users, it also has highlighted the unpredictability of wind power. Although Britain’s wind farms are supposed to provide 5 percent of the country’s electricity, they were in fact only providing 0.2 percent during the recent run of frigid, still days.

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The British government has approved 10 new sites for nuclear power stations in England and Wales, calling nuclear power a “proven and reliable” energy source that will help the UK reduce its carbon emissions and become more energy-independent.

Just a year after the government lifted a moratorium on new nuclear power generation, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called nuclear — along with renewables and clean coal — one of the “trinity” of future fuel options.

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