concerns that burning of fossil fuels could increase levels of co 2 in the atmosphere leading to climate change has caused wrangling among the world's politicians, scientists and environmentalists for years. But it has seldom been regarded as a business opportunity.

Now, three enterprises in the uk are promoting "carbon sequestration' schemes as a way for ordinary consumers to assert themselves as responsible global citizens.

The Carbon Storage Trust, Future Forests, and the International Federation for Carbon Sequestration have come up with a principle that is beguilingly simple. As plants grow, they absorb co 2 from the air and release oxygen, retaining or sequestering carbon