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Most people are unable to identify which lifestyle decisions are most effective in limiting their carbon footprint, according to an international survey of more than 21,000 people in nearly 30 countries.
Still, an overwhelming number say they know what personal actions they need to take to play their part in fighting climate change, according to the Financial Times ’exclusive Ipsos Mori survey.
In all countries, the average person who participated in the survey almost consistently ranked avoiding dryers and switching to low-energy light bulbs as more effective ways to reduce individual emissions, rather than own a car or choose a diet plant.
In fact, a person who uses ways to travel with less carbon consumption, instead of driving a car, could avoid an average of 2.4 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent that is released into the atmosphere each year in a developed country. Drying air with clothes would save only 0.2 tons of carbon emissions per year per person.
In comparison, the total annual emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are about 10.4 tons per person. in high-income countries, compared to 12 tons in 2000.
Annual global emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are approximately 51 billion tons. This is more than 40% higher than the 1990 emissions, which were around 35 billion tonnes.
“Our research shows that the issue of the environmental crisis is familiar to people around the world,” said Kelly Beaver, general director of public affairs at Ipsos Mori. “But people remain confused about which actions are most likely to have a significant effect on their carbon footprint.”
“It seems that the public has received the message when it comes to the importance of recycling, but the reality is. . . the actions that need to be taken require significantly greater sacrifices, ”Beaver added.
Recycling was the most commonly selected action as an effective means of limiting an individual’s greenhouse gas emissions. However, the environmental impact of recycling has less to do with limiting emissions and more on reducing personal waste and eliminating plastic pollution.
It is estimated that the annual emission savings for a person who recycles as much as possible is approximately 0.2 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
One of the options most ignored by respondents, as a possible way to reduce personal impact on the environment, was to choose to have fewer children. A commonly mentioned estimate of the annual emissions saved from having a child less than that of other actions, with 58.6 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, as shown in Environmental Research Letters in 2017. While some scholars argue that this is an overestimation, responses to the Ipsos Mori survey suggest that there is a lack of awareness about the potential impact that smaller families can have on the climate.
A division of generational knowledge was also highlighted in some of the results. The results showed that younger people were more aware of the environmental impact of having fewer children and the benefits of a plant-based diet, while older populations valued recycling more.
One of the most unexpected findings of the survey, given misperceptions, was that almost 70% of respondents believed they knew how to reduce their impact on the environment.
The people of Japan relied less on how to reduce their carbon footprint, followed by Russia and also Saudi Arabia and South Korea, countries with a relatively high dependence on fossil fuels.
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