How Your Daily Choices Add Up; Individual Actions in Fighting Climate Change
- Sami Hoeldtke
- Jan 14
- 4 min read
Do individual actions really matter when it comes to addressing climate change? Global warming is an issue of enormous scale and consequence, and our everyday choices are often overlooked as a means to address it. But can we make a difference? Keep reading to learn more about how much your choices matter and can create meaningful change.
Who's Fault is Climate Change?
It is no secret that the developed world has a much greater responsibility and impact on climate change than poorer nations, but that discrepancy is even crazier than you think. The top 10% of carbon emitters are responsible for nearly half of the world's total emissions. Simplified, the people who emit the most...emit WAY MORE than the rest of us, which seems unfair. Because of this, it is often thought that the average person's actions don't matter, since they'll be outweighed by someone else's choices. But who is responsible for the other half of all emissions? The rest of us. This is what makes collective action so important.
Collective Action
The definition of collective action is action taken by several or many individuals cooperating in pursuit of a common goal or shared interest. What is a better shared interest than the well-being of planet Earth? The place each and every one of us calls our home?
While each average person's level of emissions is proportionally much lower than that of the top 10%, together, we still make up the other half of global emissions, no matter how you look at it. So, if all of us are sitting here saying that our actions make no difference, our actions account for the other half of this equation, and even one person can make a difference. The impact your choices have extends beyond the mathematical impact of your individual emissions, but can impact others' actions as well, making the impact even greater. One way this happens is through the ripple effect.
Ripple Effect
The ripple effect is an abstract way of explaining how your actions are more powerful and influential than you think. Think of one little pebble being tossed into a pond. Though it may seem small at first, the impact of the pebble creates widespread ripples throughout the water. This concept can apply to anything, including your individual actions towards environmentalism and climate change.
Making lifestyle changes that support sustainability and a clean and safe environment makes a greater impact than you realize, and can also influence those around you to do the same.
Here are some examples:
I became a vegetarian nearly 7 years ago now, originally doing it for health reasons, but upon learning more about the food industry and climate change, I decided to take the plunge and commit to it. Since then, I've moved back to live closer to my family and will often help out and cook for them. I make vegetarian meals and am able to introduce them to new foods and recipes. Half the time they don't even notice the meal doesn't include meat! My dad has also stopped eating red meat almost entirely, and my friends are much more open to grabbing dinner or something at plant-based restaurants.
This example showcases how the personal decision of becoming a vegetarian has had wider impacts on those around them. Family and friends are also now eating less animal products simply by being close to someone who hasmade a lifestyle change. Just as lifestyle impacts spread, so do environmental impacts. The family now eats fewer animal products and has more planned meals, lowering the demand for animal agriculture and reducing food waste.
In college, I studied environmental science, and always did my best to properly recycle. Throughout the years, all of my roommates have learned to do so as well. When they saw I was separating things to put in the recycling bin, they would ask about them, and over time they would ask me about waste of their own: "Can I put this egg carton in there?" It became a running joke of sorts, and kept spreading to the point that even when family members were coming to visit, they would go out of their way to recycle things. I've had parents of my friends even proudly show me their new recycling bins at home and say thank you for educating them on the subject. It's not a perfect system by any means, but it's better than nothing, and we can all do our part.
In this scenario, knowledge as well as habits are being shared regarding recycling practices. These lifestyle changes were implemented by handfuls of other people, once again just by being associated with someone who was already practicing it, and even infiltrated other households.
Conclusion
While you might not be solely responsible for climate change, all of our actions and lifestyles play a role in contributing to it. It is unfair how far the scales are skewed, but don't let that convince you that your choices don't matter. Oftentimes, our habits have a much wider impact than we think, and that goes for living sustainably as well. If you want to start living more eco-friendly but aren't sure where to start, check out these 10 Sustainable Habits You Can Start for $0.
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