This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
In honor of Earth Day it is worth taking a moment to consider the impact we have on our planet as individuals. Those of us who live in developed countries probably know about some of the relatively simple steps we can each take to reduce carbon emissions—we can recycle, for example, or reduce the quantity of animal products in our diets.
But to what extent do these sorts of personal choices really make a difference? The graphic below provides some answers.
Credit: Amanda Montañez;
Source: “The Climate Mitigation Gap: Education and Government Recommendations Miss the Most Effective Individual Actions,” by Seth Wynes and Kimberly Nicholas, in Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 12; July 12, 2017
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For additional inspiration on how to be more Earth-friendly in your daily life, check out this July 2017 blog post by climate scientist Kimberly Nicholas.
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