The wedding of Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton is likely to generate more than 10 times as much greenhouse gases the Buckingham Palace emits in a whole year, a carbon footprint analysis has predicted. The mega event, which will be held on Friday and joined by hundreds of hi-profile celebrities and guests, is expected to generate 6,765 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) -- 12 times the annual emissions from the London palace or 1,230 times the annual emissions of the average UK household.
The analysis was carried out by the Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme (CEMARS), which has been assessed by the Environment Agency as equivalent to the Carbon Trust Standard, the Daily Telegraph reported.
According to the analysis, most of the carbon will be generated by the foreign royals and international guests like David and Victoria Beckham who will be flying from various places to London to see the couple wed.
Besides, thousands of people who are expected to flock to London to witness the grand event will also help raising CO2e greatly, said the analysis.
Despite the Prince of Wales's efforts to keep it green by providing local, seasonal food and flowers and turning off the lights, the food, drink and energy use also has a substantial footprint.
Activities on the wedding day could be responsible for an estimated 2,808 tonnes of CO2e. Most will be from travels of the 1,900 guests, a quarter of who will come from abroad.
Less than 13 tonnes will be generated by energy use, accommodation, landfill and catering for the lunch and evening dinner at Buckingham Palace, said the analysis.
A further 3,957 tonnes of CO2e will be generated by the 400,000 people travelling on the tube and a further 200,000 arriving on rail to watch the event in central London.
The analysts at Achilles Information Limited, who are licensed to use CEMARS in the UK, did not calculate the carbon footprint of the ceremony itself and said it was just a "fun exercise" to highlight how carbon can be cut down.
Already the couple have done a few small things to limit their footprint. Kate's ring is reported to be made from Welsh gold rather than minerals from an exploitative mine. Her dress could also be ethical if she chooses vegan silk and organic Fairtrade cotton, although the most low carbon option of wearing a second hand dress or reworking something vintage is unlikely.
However, Prince William chose to take her abroad to Jordan rather than to have a stay at home honeymoon and he did propose in a long haul destination in Kenya. The Prince's household, Clarence House and St James's Palace, offset their carbon footprint every year and a spokesman suggested the royal wedding would also be offset.
"Clarence House and St James Palace always strive to minimise their carbon emissions and make any event as environmentally friendly as possible," said a spokesman. "The royal wedding is no exception," he added.
