Opinion: What’s the best climate action you can take? You tell me.

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… Read More
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