Mindy Hernandez is director of the Living Lab for Equitable Climate Action at the World Resources Institute.
We’ve all heard it: Eat less beef. Fly less. Buy secondhand. Track your carbon footprint.
But what’s less known is that the very idea of a ‘personal carbon footprint’ was popularized by oil giant BP, which, in a 2004 campaign, encouraged people to measure their own emissions – diverting attention from the fossil fuel industry and toward individual consumers.
Two decades later, that sleight of hand still shapes much of the public discourse, overshadowing the policies, infrastructure, and market leadership needed for faster, broader climate action.
New research from the World Resources Institute shows that adopting 11 pro-climate behaviors in energy, transport, and food could reduce an individual’s greenhouse gas emissions by about 6.53 tonnes per year, more than offsetting the average person’s current emissions (about 6.3 tonnes per year).
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However, the study also reveals a stark gap between what’s theoretically possible and what’s achievable under current conditions. When efforts focus solely on changing individual behaviors – without transforming the overarching systems – they deliver only about one-tenth of their potential (about 0.63 tonnes annually), a fraction of the broad-based change the world truly needs.
The remaining 90% of emissions savings stay locked away, dependent on governments, businesses and collective action to make sustainable choices more accessible for all, not just the green-minded few.
How much do personal choices affect the climate?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says comprehensive shifts in human behavior could theoretically reduce global emissions by up to 70% by 2050 – essentially wiping out emissions from China, the US, India, the EU, and Russia combined.
But it is also clear that these massive reductions would result from individual behavior change combined with supporting policy, industry and technological transformations.
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This doesn’t mean individual action doesn’t matter. It means we need to focus on the systems that shape what’s possible for everyone in order to exponentially increase the potential impact.
While choices like flying less or switching to EVs make a difference, they only scale when supported by policies and infrastructure that make them easier, more affordable and accessible – which is where public and private-sector decisions play a crucial role.
Which behavior shifts make the biggest difference?
Our research also identifies which individual actions have the greatest climate impact – and therefore should be prioritized in decision-making. In order of climate impact, they are:
1) Shift to sustainable ground travel
Shifting from gas cars to public or active transit dramatically reduces emissions. Going car-free is 78 times more impactful than composting. Ditching your car may seem extreme, but even switching to a hybrid or electric car can have a significant impact.
2) Shift to air travel alternatives
When possible, replace flying with videoconferencing, train travel or even driving (ideally electric or hybrid). Air travel is among the most carbon-intensive activities. Since 89% of the world’s population has never flown, frequent flyers, especially in high-income groups, have a greater responsibility to lead on this.
3) Install residential solar and increase home energy efficiency
Rooftop solar and upgrades like better insulation, heat pumps or moving to a smaller house can significantly cut emissions. Unlike small changes (like switching light bulbs), these structural home improvements have a deeper impact – but often require government support, such as tax credits or incentives, to be widely accessible.
4) Eat more plant-rich meals
Cutting back on meat and dairy, particularly beef and lamb, has a massive, underestimated climate impact. While buying organic or local and reducing processed foods helps, shifting away from animal proteins matters far more. Full veganism can save nearly 1 ton of CO2 annually, but even reducing meat consumption achieves 40% of that.
How to change behaviors most effectively
These behaviors are only feasible at scale when systems support them. For example, Bogotá’s long-term investment in bike infrastructure helped increase cycling from less than 1% of trips in 1996 to 9% in 2017.
In the Netherlands, subsidies and net-metering for solar panels made renewable energy accessible, turning the country into a European leader in rooftop solar adoption. On the dietary front, public institutions and businesses can make plant-rich options more appealing and accessible (such as by adopting “meatless Monday,” like the Los Angeles Unified School District did in 2012).
How behavior change interventions are designed also matters. WRI reviewed numerous real-world programs and found that “choice architecture” (e.g. making sustainable options more visible or the default) and commitment devices (like pledges) are the most effective tools. Traditional information campaigns – like carbon calculators – are among the least.
System change is our only way out of the climate and biodiversity crises
Leveraging our collective power
The personal carbon footprint narrative has dominated the climate conversation for two decades, but it’s time to update it.
While personal choices do matter, this narrative has obscured where individuals’ real power lies: in voting, advocating for systemic change and pushing for the policies, infrastructure, and supportive environments that maximize the impact of individual climate action so it can be truly transformative.
To meet this moment, we must stop treating behavior change as a distraction from systems change – and start treating it as a force multiplier.
A version of this article originally appeared on WRI.org.
