BRUSSELS, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Scientists at a
European Commission research center have developed a mobile phone application
that allows users to see how their daily choices impact on climate change, said
the commission Friday.
The technology, called mobGAS, can
calculate daily emissions of the three major greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide -- caused by an individual.
Information about everyday activities, such as
cooking, transport, lighting, electronic appliances, is put into the
application, which calculates emissions.
A user diary of daily, weekly and yearly emissions
can be registered on a secure website, allowing a comparison with national and
world averages.
The application also includes an animation reflecting
the user's contribution to the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction target.
The application is available in all 21 EU official
languages and can be downloaded free of charge into mobile phones of
individuals.
The commission, the executive body of the European
Union (EU), hopes that the application can raise awareness of climate change
among individuals.
Individual behavior, such as how people travel, the
appliances they use or the food they eat, can make a real difference to
greenhouse gas emissions, said the commission.
The application will be showcased at the UN climate
change conference in Bali, Indonesia, next week.
The EU is championing global efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions so that global warming will not become disastrous. EU
leaders have pledged to unilaterally reduce emissions by at least 20 percent
below 1990 levels by 2020, and by 30 percent provided that other developed
countries agreed to make similar efforts.
The EU is also actively engaged in efforts to launch
global negotiations for climate change commitments after the Kyoto Protocol
provisions expire in 2012.