Have you read the headlines in the press that the State of California is going to ban single use plastic bags in large supermarkets?

Well, sound the trumpets.

Why my cynicism? Well, taking the average UK citizen  – plastic bags represent about 0.1% of our individual carbon footprint, whereas, by comparison, heating our homes represents 10% (I don’t have the equivalent Californian data to hand, but I suspect it is similar but with cooling rather than heating). You don’t have to a mathematical genius to realise that a very modest improvement in home insulation regulations would easily outstrip a complete removal of single use plastic bags from the economy.

Let’s focus on what matters, shall we?