Britain launched Sunday the first phase of the government's new "Act on CO2" climate change campaign, urging motorists to take action to cut down on emissions from their cars.

The campaign starts by encouraging motorists to "Drive Smarter", in a way that improves fuel consumption and therefore reduces carbon emissions.

Transport Minister Gillian Merron highlighted the vital role that each motorist can play in reducing emissions as she launched the campaign, which was developed by the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The minister said: "Climate change will affect us all, but we can all do our bit to help tackle it. Little changes can make a big difference and this campaign is all about giving drivers practical tips to help them make that real difference."

The Department opened up a new website for the campaign, giving motorists "top tips" on how to "Drive Smarter" and offering the chance to put the tips into action in a new online game.

The top tips for "Driving Smarter" include: pump up to cut down on CO2 as under-inflated tyres mean more CO2, don't over rev the engine or change up a gear a little earlier when you can, and less clutter in your car means less CO2.

If all drivers in the UK follow the Smarter Driving tips, CO2 emissions from cars could be reduced by 8 percent or over 5.5 million tons of CO2 a year.

The new website will also host a "Savings Calculator" to help individuals calculate how much money they could save personally if they tried smarter driving. This is done by entering the annual mileage, price of a liter of fuel and the miles per gallon the motorist averages in their car.

The campaign will also feature a new car ranking system later this year which will give information to consumers on the lowest carbon cars within the category and price range of their choice.

Source: Xinhua