For nearly 50 years, Americans have internalized “reduce, reuse, and recycle” for conservation. For many, the catchy slogan likely has become an underlying philosophy for their approach to protecting the planet.
But today, turning the tide on the rapidly worsening climate crisis requires a lot more than sticking to the “3 R’s” alone. Unfortunately, the truth is that very few people know what actions they can take to make a real impact at reducing their own emissions.
More people than ever want to do something about climate change. According to an annual survey conducted by researchers at Yale University, 54% of Americans are concerned or alarmed about climate change, a steady increase over the past decade.
However, if people want to make a dent in their emissions, they need to know and recognize what does and doesn’t work. In a recent study, my Columbia Business School co-authors and I set out to test people’s knowledge. The results were astonishing and much worse than we expected: people overwhelmingly make the wrong sustainability choices.
To ensure Americans are equipped making sustainable choices, it’s important to first clear up misconceptions about what behaviors are most effective and what industries are best and worst for the environment, then make clear what people should be doing, and finally, find strategies to ensure people are equipped with the right tools to make a real impact.
So, what are the misconceptions? Our study quizzed thousands of Americans: asking which changes in what they do every day would lower their carbon output the most, the second most, and onward. In other words, it asks participants to rank six things they could do, from the most effective moves they can make to the least. We have asked these kinds of questions of thousands of people, both in the US and other countries.
Read more articles in this series
- Why Climate Change Must Be Core to Business Education
- The Global Renewable Energy Boom Can’t Be Stopped—Not Even by U.S. Politics
On average Americans make several mistakes (try your luck here). Many believe that reducing their garbage by 25% would reduce their carbon footprint more than forgoing a trip between New York and San Francisco. That’s wrong: Flying is about 9 times worse. People on average think that recycling all their plastic is slightly more effective than cutting their meat consumption in half, but the reality is that recycling plastics is 10 times less effective.
How do we address and change this knowledge gap? Finding a solution requires understanding exactly why people make the wrong sustainability decisions. We found it’s because people tend to answer tough questions by swapping an easier question. For example, when asked about the economy, people might look at their wallets. To ensure people make the right choices, we need to make it easier for them.
Economists argue that the best way to do so is by increasing prices to reflect the emissions used to produce the goods. But we know that many people oppose this, particularly when something is labeled as a “carbon tax.” Another option is to include a label telling people how much carbon is emitted when using the product. Google Flights does this today, but I suspect it doesn’t help much. People don’t know how to think about .9 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (the emissions of the New York-San Francisco flight).
Products might present a Carbon Facts label like a Nutrition Facts label on food and provide a percentage of annual admissions: That single flight is about 6% of the average American’s carbon footprint. Reducing trash for the year reduces emissions by less than 1%.
But we shouldn’t put the burden on people alone. Companies should provide this information. Just as some people are concerned about nutrition, the majority of Americans are concerned and alarmed about climate change. If companies are listening, they should respond.
Eric Johnson is the Norman Eig Professor of Business and the director of the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia Business School. He is the author of The Elements of Choice.
