A new government website to be launched this week will allow people to calculate the size of their carbon footprint.

Using the calculator, people can get an idea of how many tons of carbon dioxide they produce every year from their car and the electricity they consume.

The website will be launched in the coming days and can be accessed through a link on the Resources Ministry website: www.mrra.gov.mt.

To calculate how many tons of carbon dioxide is produced from a car, for example, all one needs is the number of miles or kilometres travelled in the previous year. This data, together with the fuel type and engine size, will offer an estimate of the size of a person's carbon footprint.

In three simple steps, the same can be calculated for electricity consumption in homes and offices. By putting in the number of kilowatts per hour consumed in the previous year - a figure that can be found on the electricity bill - the carbon footprint is calculated.

The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases individually produced with its units of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. No longer limited to environmental groups, the issue of climate change has now taken on political importance in major economies.

With a figure in hand, the website offers the opportunity to compensate for the carbon dioxide emissions by making a donation and planting a tree in the 34U initiative, for example.

It is calculated that one tree should be planted for every ton produced.

Tips and ideas on how to reduce consumption or save energy, such as investing in photovoltaic cells, will also be available.