The Netflix-style subscription service which helps Londoners lower their emissions

A London start-up has launched a Netflix-style subscription service to help people cut their emissions.

Selva calculates its users’ carbon emissions through simple questions, such as asking about driving and flying and eating habits.

It then sets a monthly fee - on average £6 - which goes towards offsetting the subscriber’s carbon footprint by planting trees.

Co-founder Harry Hely-Hutchinson, of Barons Court, explained: “On the one side we’ve got deforestation as a solution and on the other side we have all the people who want to take action, so the idea of Selva is to connect the two.”

Just as “we drive the economy and therefore carbon emissions, we can also be the solution,” he said.

“The way Selva works is it’s a reforestation platform that allows individuals to offset their personal carbon footprint.

“Conscious consumerism is becoming increasingly popular so we’re hoping that we can sort of play into that.

“If you have a Netflix subscription for £10 a month why not have a carbon offset subscription for £10 a month.

“If every one of Netflix’s subscribers also had a Selva subscription, then global CO2 emissions would be about 5% lower.”

So far, the start-up has been running for six months, and there are 150 subscribers.

The company has planted 30,000 trees across Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania which will offset 3,500 tonnes of CO2 across their life time.