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Environment: treading lightly on the Earth

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Figure 5 is a pie chart showing the total carbon footprint of the residents of the large English city of Greater Manchester broken down by main consumption categories. The biggest slice of the pie (coloured dark blue) is total annual household gas and other heating fuel use at 12 per cent of the total footprint of over 41 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The second biggest slice (coloured maroon) is domestic vehicle fuel use at 8 per cent of the total. The third biggest slices, respectively coloured dark green, red and light green, are household electricity use; eating and staying outside the home; and emissions arising from the residents’ use of public services, all at 7 per cent of the total. And so on. Car manufacture and maintenance and use of private services, such as banking, both at 5 per cent. Health care at 4 per cent. Travel by public transport; water, waste and sewage services; and domestic construction all at 3 per cent. And lastly purchase of electrical goods and use of education services both at 2 per cent of the total.

 2.1 The carbon footprint of UK individuals and households