How to live a low-carbon life

Chris Goodall, Earthscan, paperback, 319 pages, £14.99

Attributing global environmental problems to individuals has many pitfalls, but this book is useful in highlighting the inequalities that underlie carbon consumption.

The book divides total UK greenhouse gas emissions by the population to give a figure of about 12.5 tonnes of CO2 per person - about half from the home and the other half from work.

The author makes it clear that individuals who live in large houses, drive large cars and fly a lot will have much higher figures. The richest 10% of the population had a carbon budget of over 19 tonnes.

Although the book has less to say about workplaces, it does highlight office emissions and points out that individual workers could save 0.8 tonnes of CO2 a year by working from home. It also suggests that employers should switch to a renewable energy supplier and install a wind turbine.