The UK Environment minister, David Miliband, floated the idea of a personal carbon trading scheme working across the UK.
"Imagine a country where carbon becomes a new currency. We carry bank cards that store both pounds and carbon points," he told the Audit Commission this week.
"When we buy electricity, gas and fuel, we use our carbon points, as well as pounds. To help reduce carbon emissions, the Government would set limits on the amount of carbon that could be used," he said.
The UK government is struggling against a Conservative Party that has successfully aligned concern about the environment with other conservative values, such as community, economic independence and protection for small business.
The story has received wide coverage in the UK press. See the Guardian article .