4 December 2007
A special mobile phone application that allows users to track their individual carbon footprint has been launched by the EU.
MobGAS works through mobile phone users entering information about their daily activities into their phones - and calculates the carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane use that results.
Users can also enter this information into a secured website - and check their own greenhouse gas levels against national and global averages.
It is hoped that the scheme, developed by scientists at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, will encourage consumers to make more informed choices about their energy use.
Speaking to silicon.com, James Governor, principal analyst at environmental technology community Greenmonk, said: "I think anything that gives people better awareness of [the impact] behaviour might have on the environment is a good thing."
The new mobile phone application could become a scheme on a similar scale to the government's ongoing project to introduce smart metering into all UK homes over the next few years.
Smart meters provide householders with information on how much energy each of their appliances are using at any one time - and, it is hoped, will result in greater domestic energy efficiency in future.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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