My carbon footprint

My colleagues, who work with a prominent ecological and environmental body here in the emirates, presented a few slides at our regular office breakfast on calculating your carbon footprint.

The UAE has the world's largest carbon footprint, but as a recycling vegetarian who mostly enjoys non-carbon sports such as running and yoga in the park, I was under the impression that my footprint would be a mite less than your average bear.

Shockingly not. Try this, err, 'fun' quiz and see how you compare (although note it is only set up for US, Canada and Australia so far - I chose the States)

If everyone lived like me, we would need a shocking 6.9 planet Earths to provide enough resources. My 'energy land' requirement is enormous...I guess that's due to my dependence on Harry the Jeep to get around town, and several flights a year to the UK and elsewhere.

All very thought provoking.

A similar application - that does have all countries in the world listed - is Carbon Footprint. I was a little more cheered by this one as, although still shocked and stunned by my contribution to the end of the world as we know it, my footprint is less than the average UAE resident...though still enormous compared to the rest of the world.

If you try it yourself, please post your result and where you are living - I'd be interested to see how lifestyles around the world compare.