To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the global economic situation on individual consumers’ carbon footprints. (219302)

In the short-term, high fossil fuel prices and the global downturn could lead to slightly reduced demand for fuel and energy, and thus slightly lower carbon emissions in the economy as a whole, as people reduce their demand for fuel and energy.

If fossil fuel prices remain high in the long run, we expect producers and consumers to adapt and consume less fossil-fuel based energy, leading to reduced carbon emissions.