Researchers are looking at the impact that individuals' actions can have on reducing carbon emissions — and the best ways to get people to adopt them.
...At the same time, there is concern that promoting personal solutions to address global climate change lets corporations and governments off the hook and even plays into their hands. For example, a carbon footprint calculator was created by the oil and gas company BP in 2004 as part of an advertising campaign to help people measure their impact on the environment. Critics said it was simply a way to shift the responsibility from big companies to everyday consumers.
...Genevieve Guenther, the author of "The Language of Climate Politics," emphasized that not all people are equally responsible for climate change. According to a report by the nongovernmental organization Oxfam International, the top 1 percent in income worldwide account for more carbon emissions than the poorest 66 percent. In the United States, a study by PLOS Climate found, 10 percent of the richest Americans account for about 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Political actions, such as voting and pressuring elected officials, can help, Ms. Guenther said in a video interview.
"Our true responsibility is to use our choices as political agents in the world to try to shift power, take power away from the people who are blocking the transition away from fossil fuels and give it to people who will lead into a livable future," she said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/climate/carbon-reduction-strategies.html?smid=em-share
...At the same time, there is concern that promoting personal solutions to address global climate change lets corporations and governments off the hook and even plays into their hands. For example, a carbon footprint calculator was created by the oil and gas company BP in 2004 as part of an advertising campaign to help people measure their impact on the environment. Critics said it was simply a way to shift the responsibility from big companies to everyday consumers.
...Genevieve Guenther, the author of "The Language of Climate Politics," emphasized that not all people are equally responsible for climate change. According to a report by the nongovernmental organization Oxfam International, the top 1 percent in income worldwide account for more carbon emissions than the poorest 66 percent. In the United States, a study by PLOS Climate found, 10 percent of the richest Americans account for about 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Political actions, such as voting and pressuring elected officials, can help, Ms. Guenther said in a video interview.
"Our true responsibility is to use our choices as political agents in the world to try to shift power, take power away from the people who are blocking the transition away from fossil fuels and give it to people who will lead into a livable future," she said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/climate/carbon-reduction-strategies.html?smid=em-share
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