The best way to reduce your carbon footprint is one the government isn’t telling you about | Science Magazine

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From Science article:

 …four lifestyle choices had a major impact: Become a vegetarian, forego air travel, ditch your car, and—most significantly—have fewer children.

The top ways to reduce your carbon footprint

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Credits: (Graphic) J. You/Science; (Data) Seth Wynes and Kimberly A Nicholas, Environmental Research Letters (2017)
So, I’m good on #1 (child-free by choice); mostly there on #2 (I never drive, but I do bum rides, and at times my spouse has owned a car); technically good on #3, but I have taken some trans-Pacific flights, which are even worse, so… low marks on this one; only do #4 to the extent that green energy is in the local PG&E mix (currently 33%); #5&6 presume car ownership, so they don’t really apply; about 90% there on #7 (fish or chicken maybe once or twice a week, still some dairy and eggs); #8 again presumes cars – n/a; and generally good on #9-12. I suppose I can feel pretty good about myself today 🙂But if you’re not there yet, don’t feel bad! Just do the best you can, and keep working at it. (Of course, it’s probably too late to send back any existing offspring you may have, but you might consider carefully whether to produce any additional biological progeny in the future.)

We don’t all have to change all at once, but change is vitally necessary. The more people start to participate in, expect and demand change, the more the culture around us will transform to make those changes easier for everyone.

千里之行… or

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2 Comments

  2. Hello again – I tried to send:

    Michelle, I am perplexed too!
    I found your awesome blog today, after writing an op-ed for our local newspaper, A path for survival.
    I would like to send you the op-ed for your comments
    Best,
    Luis

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