Fair Shares, Fair Choice: Voluntary Carbon Rationing for Contraction and Convergence
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA 
on 05.11.07
We've written about voluntary carbon rationing before. Now we've come across another effort that seeks to encourage individuals and businesses to work towards greatly reduced carbon footprints. Fair Shares, Fair Choice is a new movement, based in the South West of England, that is advocating personal and societal moves in support of 'contraction and convergence.' Contraction and convergence is basically the concept of the developed world agreeing to reduce it's CO2 emissions year-on-year, while developing countries agree to limit their increases in emissions as they grow their economies - the ultimate goal being that the countries converge at a mutually agreed sustainable level of global emissions. Members join the movement by agreeing to live within a 'fair share' of carbon emissions, and this fair share is gradually reduced year-on-year. It doesn't end there, however, as the movement offers coaching and advice to help people reach their targets both at home, at work, at school or in the wider community. The website also offers an online community of like-minded souls, where folks can share their stories of success and failure, and learn from each other. Fair Shares, Fair Choice is clearly thinking beyond the impact of each individual's action as it seeks to show government and decision makers that widespread support for carbon rationing is possible:
"Joining the FSFC movement is a way to show your support for the principle of living within a globally fair and safe share of CO2 emissions (it isn't for anyone who feels that they will benefit from catastrophic climate change!)."
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