How Much Does Your Carbon Footprint Really Matter?

April is Earth Month, and chances are you’ve recently seen an influx of articles, social media posts, and discussions about things you can do to be more eco-friendly. There are many online tools to help you calculate your carbon footprint, or the total amount of greenhouse gasses that are generated by your everyday actions. While the average global carbon footprint is 4 tons, the average American has a carbon footprint of 16 tons - leaving lots of room to make some environmentally-friendly changes to our behavior. 

Like many like-minded people who care about the planet, over the years I’ve made many small changes to my behavior in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint - such as reducing my use of single-use plastics by buying reusable water bottles and grocery bags, buying products with less packaging or buying in bulk, carpooling or using public transportation, and recycling religiously. 

But as the climate activism movement has grown in the last few years, I’ve also heard a rather surprising argument start to emerge - that your carbon footprint doesn't actually matter. According to a 2017 report by the Climate Accountability Institute, 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are caused by 100 companies, making individual actions seem rather futile in solving the climate crisis. It’s also been revealed that the whole concept of a carbon footprint was a clever marketing ploy by major oil companies several decades ago, in order to shift the blame and responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions away from the companies and onto individual consumers. 

So what do we do with all these conflicting messages? Do we give up and go back to using plastic bags with reckless abandon? Or do we double-down and shame our friends for using a plastic straw at dinner? Hopefully, you’ll find the answer somewhere in between. Like almost every other issue on Earth, this one is not black and white. I believe that a gray area can and does exist, where it is true that individuals, governments, and corporations can all make better choices for the planet. As a consumer, in addition to changing your own behavior, your power lies in showing these corporations and governments that you want them to do better - by voting for politicians who fight for climate action and holding them accountable, by choosing to purchase from companies that are transparent about their supply chain and environmental impact, by practicing Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), and by advocating for the policies you want to see implemented. These actions work, as recently evidenced by a Maryland bill that is set to become law, which will accelerate the state’s transition away from fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions significantly.

This Earth Day (and every day) remember that there is a lot you can do to be kinder to the planet. Perhaps most importantly, remember that frequent, imperfect actions are better than none, and even the smallest actions can make a difference in your immediate environment and community.