Britain will this week begin a three-month consultation period to consider how to get local businesses to cut climate warming greenhouse gas emissions.
The aim is to get supermarkets, hotels and government departments with electricity bills of more than £250,000 (€373,000) a year to join the global fight against global warming. About 5,000 businesses and government departments in Britain would be in the net.
"The consultations will cover how to save the 1.2 megatonnes (of carbon emissions) by 2020 that was laid out in the Energy Review," the Department of the Environment said.
Scientists say global average temperatures could rise by between two and six degrees above pre-industrial levels over the coming century due mainly to greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels for power and transport.
Not only will this cause more extreme weather events like storms and droughts, but it will also start to melt the giant polar ice caps and put millions more people at risk in coastal areas from rising sea levels.
Among the options being considered are the creation of a UK-only carbon trading scheme to work alongside the existing European Trading Scheme.
Britain has pledged to cut its carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2010 and 60 per cent by 2050, but it has already admitted that extra efforts will be needed.
The Energy Review published in July gave the green light to new nuclear power stations to replace the country's ageing stock, as well as renewable energy such as wind and waves, more energy efficiency, micro-generation and clean coal technology.
However, most environmentalists rejected new nuclear power plants as the wrong answer and they are suspicious that a UK-only carbon trading scheme might be used to artificially raise carbon prices to make nuclear appear viable.