Heard a climate scientist say individual actions don't matter and it got me thinking

I was at a talk in Portland last week where this scientist from OSU said personal stuff like recycling or driving less is basically useless compared to cutting corporate emissions. But then another guy in the audience pointed out that 40% of US food waste comes from households, so individuals do add up. Which side is closer to the truth here? How do you all balance pushing for system change vs. just trying to live cleaner yourself?

3 comments

3 Comments

finley_wells6626d ago

schmidt.grace, you're spot on about the whole "inspiring others" thing, my neighbor started taking the bus after I kept talking about ditching my car. It's just rough how those numbers can make you feel like your little stuff doesn't count when it really does.

elliotjenkins26d ago

Wait, didn't that OSU guy say something about how corporations produce like 70% of emissions too? I remember reading a study that said if every single American stopped eating meat tomorrow it would still only cut total emissions by like 3% or something... but then that same study said individual car choices add up huge because we buy new vehicles every few years. It's confusing honestly. I've been trying to just fix what I can control - I started composting last month and it's actually shocking how much less trash I produce now, but I still drive to work every day because there's no bus route near my house.

schmidt.grace26d ago

Oh man that composting thing is exactly what I'm talking about. It's like people think if they can't do EVERYTHING perfect then why bother doing anything at all. I started biking to the grocery store instead of driving and yeah it's only like a mile but my neighbor saw me doing it and now she bikes too sometimes. That's the thing nobody talks about in these big debates - your actions can actually inspire other people to change little things too and then those people tell their friends and pretty soon you've got a whole block doing something different. The car choice thing elliotjenkins mentioned is huge too because when you show up in an electric car or even just a smaller fuel efficient one your friends and family start asking questions about it. I think the real answer is we have to do both at the same time like push for the big stuff but also just live in a way that feels right to you even if it's not perfect.