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May 22, 2024 — Editor’s note: This op-ed originally appeared at Project Drawdown and is printed here with permission.
When I tell someone I lead a climate change nonprofit, one of the most common questions I get is: What can I do to reduce my carbon footprint?
It’s a fair and important question. After all, Project Drawdown and RARE, among others, have shown that about one-third of the solutions needed to stop climate change are best implemented at the household or family level.
Moreover, every individual action results in unseen ripples that influence the larger systems of which we are all a part. For instance, by switching to an electric vehicle or installing solar panels you not only reduce your own carbon emissions but also influence those around you to do the same and send a signal to politicians and the market that what’s good for the planet is also good for their politics or their bottom line.
We need system change, but personal actions are part of the system.
You’ll sometimes hear from environmentalists that we need “system change” at the level of policy and business, not personal change, to address the climate crisis. While it’s true that systemic change is necessary and we should continue to be wary of efforts from the fossil-fuel industry and other bad-faith actors to shift blame for the climate crisis from themselves to consumers, we cannot dismiss the importance of individual climate action. We need system change, but personal actions are part of the system.
But what actions matter most?
There are dozens of lists online that attempt to tell you just that (we have even published them in the past at Project Drawdown). Despite being well-intentioned, almost all of these lists fall short for the same reason: They are one-size-fits-all while humans are not.
Without knowing who you are, how you live, or what you are unable or unwilling to do, I cannot possibly provide the best climate solution any more than a waiter without consultation could pick your favorite meal off a menu at a restaurant. What I can do, however, and what I attempt to do below, is point out parts of your life where it’s likely that you could be living more sustainably and give you the tools to take stock and take action.
How You Eat
What we eat and how we grow it has a major impact on the environment. Agriculture — and animal agriculture, in particular — shapes the landscapes, water resources, ecosystems and climate we depend on. In all, agriculture uses about 37% of our planet’s land, drives 70% of our freshwater use, and produces about one-quarter to one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions.
Click image to expand
Almost as important as the food we eat, however, is the food we waste. Globally, roughly 30-40% of the food we produce is never eaten and is lost somewhere between farm and fork. Not only does this waste all of the embedded carbon emissions — those emitted to grow, ship and store the food — but when that food waste breaks down in landfills it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change.
So what are some ways to reduce the impact of our food choices?
Take Stock
Take Action
How You Power Up
Generating electricity from coal and natural gas accounts for roughly 20-25% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. What percentage of your emissions it makes up will vary depending on where you live, how your electricity is produced, how your house is built and so on. But there are almost always ways you can reduce your emissions from electricity generation by being more efficient.
Take Stock
Photo by Thomas Coker / Unsplash
Take Action
How You Travel
Depending on where you live and how you get around, transportation could very well be your largest source of direct greenhouse gas emissions.
Take Stock
Photo by 勻蔚 / Unsplash
Take Action
How You Heat or Cool
Heating and cooling living spaces — and making household hot water — takes a lot of energy. For many people, especially those with older homes, this may be your single largest source of emissions — and one of your biggest monthly bills. Luckily, small changes in how we heat and cool our homes can greatly reduce our emissions.
Take Stock
Ultimately, the most important and effective individual actions…are those you are willing and able to do to create a healthier, more sustainable planet.
Take Action
These are just a handful of many aspects of your life where you can take climate action. Whether or not they are the most impactful ones you can take depends on who you are, where you live and what you already do.
Ultimately, the most important and effective individual actions — whether a one-time affair, such as switching your bank; something you do a couple of times per year, like voting for an environmentally focused candidate; or something you do day in and day out, like being vegetarian — are those you are willing and able to do to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. You don’t need a random list you found on the Internet; you need to take stock and take action.
So the next time I’m asked what the best thing any one person can do for the planet, my response will be: You tell me.
Editor’s note: From 2008 and 2014, Jonathan Foley was the founding director of the Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of Minnesota, which publishes Ensia. You can read his previous writing in Ensia here.
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