Study finds Americans often misjudge which personal choices impact climate change the most
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New research shows people overestimate the climate benefits of recycling and efficient light bulbs, while underestimating the impact of flying, owning dogs, and using renewable energy.
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The most impactful actionsavoiding flights, not owning a dog, and switching to renewable electricitywere among the most misunderstood.
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Experts say marketing, visibility, and misinformation contribute to the publics inaccurate rankings of climate-friendly actions.
Many Americans pride themselves on their burlap shopping bags, vegan snacks and recycling everything in sight. But a new study recently published by the National Academy of Sciences finds that many such cherished traditions don't actually do all that much to reduce climate change, while other harmful behaviors like jet flights andcarnivorous dogs are much more damaging.
Researchers asked participants to rank the climate impact of various behaviors, from switching to energy-efficient light bulbs to avoiding plane flights. They found widespread misconceptions. While avoiding flights, not adopting a dog, and using renewable electricity ranked highest in actual climate benefit, they were also the most underestimated by participants. Conversely, actions like recycling, changing light bulbs, and using less energy for laundrythough beneficialwere overestimated in their climate impact.
People over-assign impact to actually pretty low-impact actions such as recycling, and underestimate the actual carbon impact of behaviors much more carbon intensive, like flying or eating meat, said study co-author Madalina Vlasceanu of Stanford University.
Several factors may explain the gap. Jiaying Zhao, a psychology and sustainability professor at the University of British Columbia, noted that visible and frequent actions, like recycling, feel more significant than infrequent but high-impact behaviors like flying. Marketing campaigns have also long promoted recycling and efficient appliances, while often ignoring the emissions from activities such as air travel or pet ownership.
Flying dogs are the worst
Dogs, in particular, contribute more to climate change than many realize due to the meat-heavy diets they require. Beef production, a common protein in pet food, is especially carbon-intensive and often linked to deforestation. Air travel is another major source of emissions, with a single round-trip flight from New York to Los Angeles producing over 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide per passenger.
Switching to renewable energy, experts say, is among the most effective choices an individual can make, significantly reducing emissions from home heating, cooling, and electricity use.
The researchers found that when participants were given accurate information about the climate impact of different actions, they adjusted their priorities toward more impactful changes. People do learn from these interventions, Vlasceanu said. After learning, they are more willing to commit to actually more impactful actions.
Posted: 2025-08-13 16:05:01
