An investigation by The Guardian newspaper has found that just five giant energy companies in the UK produce more carbon dioxide pollution than all the motorists on UK roads combined.
Top of the “Dirty Five” is EON UK, the electricity generator that owns Powergen. It produced 26.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide last year – slightly more than Croatia did. Next came RWE, Npower, Drax, Corus, and EDF. Together they produced between them more than 100m tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2005, compared to 91m tonnes produced by Britain’s vehicles.

Whilst this is not an excuse to carry on driving, the figures have prompted new calls for tighter restrictions on corporate polluters.