Although it is clear that high politics is key to successfully tackling global warming, with the general public having little or no say when it comes to the creation of policies aimed at fighting climate change, scientists insist that there are a lot of things that consumers can do to contribute to the efforts for resolving this pressing issue.
According to a new study, some daily habits of American consumers have a significant impact on the environment, and most of them have to do with transportation. Michael Sivak and Brandon Shoettle, researchers with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, have prepared a report titled “What Individual Americans Can Do to Assist in Meeting the Paris Agreement”, suggesting how specific actions by individuals can help reduce carbon emissions, which is the primary cause of climate change.
Cars Are Key to Curbing Emissions
The study highlights three sectors where consumers can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: residential, agriculture and transportation. The role of transportation and the way individuals get around is specifically outlined as being crucial for reducing total emissions.
The report states that transportation is the leading source of harmful emissions in the U.S., and suggests that cars with better fuel economy are the best way to fight climate change.
Researchers say that if each American driver would reduce driving by 1.25 percent, total emissions would drop 0.2 percent. The same effect would be achieved if the average fuel economy of vehicles sold in the U.S. were to increase from the current 21.4 mpg to 21.7 mpg, and if each driver would use tires with rolling resistance that is 9 percent higher than the current average.
Furthermore, the researchers suggest that Americans reduce the frequency of “very high-speed” driving by 25 percent and fly less often.
Residential and Agricultural Sectors with a Lesser Impact
According to the study, what people eat and the amount of energy consumed by each household also has an impact on the amount of harmful emissions, but it’s not as substantial as the impact of motor vehicles.
The paper notes that if the thermostat in each home is turned down by 3 degrees for eight hours per day, total emissions would be reduced by 0.2 percent, as well as if 20 percent of all incandescent light bulbs are replaced with LEDs, meat consumption is reduced by 7 percent, and the amount of discarded food is reduced by 13 percent.
But, a more substantial reduction in emissions can only be achieved through a big improvement in fuel economy of vehicles.
“However, to achieve larger reductions in emissions—-5 percent to 10 percent—there is only one realistic action that by itself would accomplish the goal. And that is driving a more-fuel efficient vehicle,” Sivak said.
The report concludes by stating that if every American drove a car that gets 56 mpg, carbon emissions would drop by 10 percent.
With all of the above facts in mind, buying more fuel-efficient vehicles is the best thing that environmentally-conscious Americans can do in order to help stave off global warming.