Back in the early 2000s, the term carbon footprint was popularised by BP. Yes, the oil company.
Initially, this focus on individual action was popular. In recent years though, a lot of people have been put off addressing their personal greenhouse gas emissions and climate impact, believing that a focus on individual carbon footprints distracts from the real culprits.
Understandably, people feel like their potential to create change through personal sustainability action is insignificant compared to what governments and corporations emit. In a 2022 study, 57 fossil fuel and cement producers were linked to 80% of global fossil CO2 emissions since the Paris Agreement.
The thing is, the climate crisis isn’t something we can just assign blame for and then move on from. Action is needed. And, while pressure on the biggest culprits is essential, we all have a part to play.
Below, we’ll look at how important individual action is, and how it can have a wider impact than just GHG emissions prevented.
Can individuals really make a difference to climate change?
The short answer is, absolutely!
When we talk about global per capita emissions, individual impact can seem fairly low. It’s important to remember though, that we are not all equally responsible.
These differences in country averages are shocking, but this isn’t even the full picture. Income also impacts individual emissions. In fact, according to the IEA, the world’s top 1% of emitters produce over 1000 times more CO2 than the bottom 1%.
High emitters, like those in the top 1%, can clearly make a massive difference just by reducing their own footprint. But even if you’re not in the top 1%, your actions matter.
Who is responsible for stopping climate change
We are all responsible for doing what we can to slow climate change. The world as we know it depends on it.
If you’re an average emitter in a high-emissions country, your personal action directly helps to reduce global emissions. Even if you feel like you’re personally not doing too badly when it comes to sustainability and won’t change much by focusing on your impact, you’ll see below that your action can have a knock-on effect and can indirectly contribute to emissions reductions from corporations and government entities, as well as those high impact individuals.
We’ll say it again: the impact of individual climate action goes far beyond the measure of the GHG emissions you personally avoid.
5 ways that individual climate action makes a difference
Emissions reductions
See above. This is especially important if you’re above the global average. The top 10% of earners worldwide are estimated to be responsible for close to 50% of emissions compared to the bottom 50% who contribute only 12%.
If you’re thinking that you aren’t part of this high-impact demographic, take a minute to double check. We highly recommend plugging your salary into this ‘How Rich Am I?’ calculator. If you live in a country with an advanced economy, you very well might be within that top 10%.
Creating systemic demand for change
Reducing your emissions and committing to a low-impact lifestyle can also influence others, including those with the largest opportunity to make a difference.
While, ultimately, corporations and governments are responsible for systemic change, these entities all serve individuals. Your purchasing and voting power are substantial. Let’s look at a couple of examples:
If green policies are popular with voters, they’re much more likely to be implemented.
If consumers are concerned about the impact attached to products and services, it adds extra incentive for companies to be transparent about their impact and to invest in lowering it.
Reducing the green premium
Innovation is expensive, which is often reflected in the costs of green solutions. In an ideal world, sustainable solutions would all be government-subsidised, making them affordable for everyone. That’s not always the case though. If you have the means to pay a slight premium for genuinely good sustainable options, you can help cover the startup costs of the type of business you want to see more of. This can help boost growth until sustainable businesses reach the point of being cost-competitive. Once a sustainable business can compete with higher emissions alternatives on price, it can attract a much bigger market share!
E.g. Wind power used to be more expensive than other energy sources, but with time, increased demand and innovation, it is now more affordable than fossil fuels in many countries!
Your circle of influence: changing what’s ‘normal’
Social science tells us that other people’s opinions impact our behaviour massively. If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable bringing up something that matters to you (maybe climate change) in a room full of people in case they don’t agree, you’ve experienced this firsthand.
This can work against climate action when people feel uncomfortable sharing their enthusiasm for change. It follows that we can also use this to our advantage.
Changing the narrative is more achievable than you might think. Talking about the changes you're making in your personal life can help to reach key tipping points in what’s considered normal.
Social tipping points are the moment when enough people adopt a technology or behaviour and it suddenly shifts from something a small minority does to being widely adopted.
Think about how normal littering cigarette butts used to be. Nowadays, in most social settings, you’d be met with obvious disapproval from your peers, and possibly a fine!
So, what does it take for a group to adopt a new behaviour (such as limiting their emissions)?
A study suggests that as low as 25% of a group need to change their behaviour to influence and convert the rest. That means that just 5 people in an office of 20 using a reusable water bottle or cycling to work has the potential to create a cultural shift across the whole team.
For some business and tech solutions, a 17 to 20% market or population share has been enough to cross the tipping point.
Turning anxiety into action
When you openly care about the planet, you make it socially acceptable for others to care too. This is really important: there’s evidence that people who believe they are alone in climate anxiety are less likely to take personal action or ask for systemic change.
You might not be able to convince a climate change denier to take action, but just mentioning something you’re doing to lower your impact could really help someone who’s stuck in climate anxiety move into a more hopeful, action-focused headspace.
Your actions matter
Your personal climate actions really can help to change the type of future we’re headed for. That said, as you can see, many of the additional benefits are reliant on you talking about what you’re doing. Here’s a great checklist to ensure you have as big a positive impact as possible.
Learn about climate change
Take action (if you’re a Furthr user, we’ve got a lot of ideas to help get you started)
Put your money where your mouth is (if you can)
Share with your circle of influence
Many people let climate anxiety get the best of them and stop at #1 or #2, but once you’re ready to talk about climate change, you might be pleasantly surprised by how many people share your feelings.
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