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About
The website
This website was launched in 2007 to give unbiased information on climate change, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, and how to become independent of fossil fuels.The carbon footprint calculator is constructed according to the best information available, and will be updated as new information becomes available.
A carbon budget calculator was added in 2023 - at carbonindependent.org/carbonbudgets.php. This shows how quickly CO2 emissions must by reduced in order to comply with the global carbon budget for a range of limits to global warming e.g. 1.5°C or 1.6°C.
The stance of this website is that of a policy scientist. This means
- the aim is to work towards a robust evidence-based consensus of reasonable people on any policy question
- the starting point is an open mind and impartiality
- using scientific methods and agreed principles of policy making (including human rights)
- as a contribution to society's decision making process
- aspiring to be a reliable, trusted source of information.
The author
The main author is Ian Campbell (personal website: iancampbell.co.uk).Experience
- 15 years working as a hospital doctor specialising in General Surgery and in Radiotherapy & Oncology (cancer treatment)
- 14 years working as a statistical consultant on about 120 projects for about 60 clients.
- since 2007, volunteering full time on various sustainability projects, including
- founder member of Transition Town West Kirby (a local sustainability group)
- founder member and Secretary of Wirral Pedestrians Association
- committee member of West Kirby Farmers' Market
- website editor of http://www.pedestriansafety.org.uk
- website editor of http://www.travelindependent.org.uk - road casualty information for each police area and local authority area
- joint co-ordinator of Vision Zero Merseyside http://www.vzm.org.uk - a campaign advocating zero road deaths and serious road casualties in Merseyside - since adopted by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
- website editor of https://wacm.org.uk/ - campaigning for walking and cycling safety in Merseyside
Qualifications
- BA (1975) medical sciences (Cambridge University)
- MB MChir (1978) clinical medicine
- FRCS (1982) Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons
- FRCR (1989) Fellow of the Royal College of Radiology (Radiotherapy and Oncology)
- BSc (1994) Open University degree in statistics
- MD (1994) doctorate in the use of statistical methods in cancer research
No conflict of interest
This website is non-commercial - there is no attempt to profit from visitors to the website by selling "offsetting" or from any other aspect of climate change.A signatory of the Science Oath for the Climate of Scientists for Global Responsibility
The oath includes a commitment to "explain honestly, clearly and without compromise, what scientific evidence tells us about the seriousness of the climate emergency".The full text
is at https://www.sgr.org.uk/projects/science-oath-climate-text-and-signing.Relevant publications
- UK's share of the global carbon budget will be used up in 3.3 years (2021) British Medical Journal 2021;374:n2391. doi:10.1136/bmj.n2391 pmid:34593544 link
- The UK’s fair carbon budget will run out in 2027: here’s the evidence (May 2025) Responsible Science, Issue 7 https://www.sgr.org.uk/publications/responsible-science-no-7 or https://www.carbonindependent.org/files/SGR_RS7_pp7-9.pdf.
[Other publications are at http://www.iancampbell.co.uk/publications.html.]
Citations
- one of three carbon footprint calculators recommended by Ethical Consumer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2007 issue) in the "Best Overall Online Calculators" category
- one of the calculators recommended by the Newsletter of the Women's Environmental Network (Winter 2007 issue) www.wen.org.uk
- recommended by The Three Tonne Club Handbook (2008) www.wen.org.uk
- recommended by The Woodland Trust (2022) https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Margaret, Helen, Debbie, Peter, Carol, Geraldine, Clive, Andrew, Patrick, Ann, Gen and John for feedback on earlier versions of the calculator, and to many others for feedback on the calculator and information pages.Blue Sky
@iancampbell.bsky.social
Get in touch
Comments on any aspect of this website are welcome via
The aim is to give a fair summary of the evidence, and unbiased conclusions. Please give feedback about any errors, omissions, or unfair conclusions so that they can be corrected.
First published Feb 2007