Carol Foussat from the Godalming branch of Extinction Rebellion writes for Nub News.

The Government recently announced that as of 2030 no more cars powered purely by petrol or diesel will be sold in the UK.

This is part of the so called 'green industrial revolution' to tackle climate change and create jobs. Anyone who wants to continue to own a car will need to get their heads around this significant shift and consider what changes they are going to make and when.

Cars are a significant contribution to our annual average 12.7 tonnes of CO2 per person in the UK. The emissions from cars are 1.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide – a significant part of our total footprint.

It sounds really big, doesn't it – but it is not just the petrol or diesel that is burnt but also the contribution of that car's production and the transport of the petrol or diesel as well.

Making a shift from petrol and diesel will significantly reduce our impact, but despite increased fuel efficiencies, we haven't been seeing a reduction in carbon emissions. Why is that?

Over the last decade or so, the biggest growth sector in cars has been in Sports Utility Vehicles – SUVs. They are high carbon to make and very fuel inefficient.

So even if they shift to electric or hybrid, a larger car's hidden carbon cost can be enormous.

A top-of- the-range Land Rover Discovery costs 35 tonnes of carbon dioxide to make… that's a lot more than the average UK person's annual emissions of 12.7 tonnes. And a lot more than a Ford Mondeo (17 tonnes) and a Citroen C1 (6 tonnes).

So if you need a new car, you may now be thinking of an electric or hybrid, but please consider the value of getting one that doesn't cost the earth to make.