Personal carbon limit for everyone

Everybody could be issued with a "carbon credit card" which they would swipe when buying petrol, paying their utility bills, purchasing food, or travelling.

People with lifestyles that are damaging to the environment - such as frequent fliers, motorists who drive gas-guzzling vehicles or people who live in large homes with poor insulation - would have to buy more carbon credits from greener individuals.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband floated the idea when he was Environment Secretary and the Government has launched a study into the practicalities of personalised carbon quotas.

Environment Minister Joan Ruddock told MPs the personal carbon trading scheme "is one of a number of potential long-term options being explored for making individuals better informed about, and involved in, tackling climate change".

An EU-wide carbon trading scheme already operates between businesses and the system is due to be extended to cover aviation in coming years.

The fight against climate change in the UK is set to face a new challenge with thousands of homes, particularly in the South-East, expected to be fitted with energy-consuming air conditioning as the country gets hotter.

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper told the all-party communities and local government committee that new building regulations would be drawn up to limit the impact of greater use of air conditioning.

Home owners doing loft conversions, extensions or other improvements could also be increasingly forced to make their properties less environmentally damaging. All new homes will have to be carbon neutral by 2016.

Ms Cooper said current predictions were for the South-East to be most affected by global warming, which will bring an increased risk of flooding and subsidence.