A new study out this week suggests that the United States could reduce its greenhouse emissions by nearly 8 percent in the next decade if Americans undertook a short list of behavioral changes, like carpooling, insulating their homes and drying clothes outside instead of in a tumble dryer.
In the study, released online by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers led by Thomas Dietz, a professor of sociology and crop and soil sciences at Michigan State University, looked at 17 different “household actions” to determine if they could have a significant effect on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
They concluded that, over 10 years, shifting behavior could save 123 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, or 20 percent of household emissions in the United States, “with little or no effect on household well-being.”
The American study did not deal with dietary changes. As I wrote in The New York Times last week, the Swedish government is already encouraging its citizens to modify their diets (less red meat, more seasonal vegetables) to reduce personal carbon dioxide emissions.
Indeed, as an environment reporter who travels frequently in Europe, I find that one of the obvious paradoxes of global environmental statistics is how American per capita emissions are two to three times that of Sweden or France, although Americans’ quality of life is certainly not two to three times better than that of a Swede or a Frenchman. (See this table on national per capita emissions from the Union of Concerned Scientists.)
According to the new research in PNAS, some areas where small shifts in individual behavior could strikingly reduce United States emissions include improving home insulation, changing to a more fuel-efficient vehicle, cruising at the most efficient speed (55 miles per hour) and carpooling when possible.
Noting the large emissions reductions that would be needed to control global warming, Dr. Dietz and his colleagues concluded that “the potential for household action deserves greater policy attention.”
This might include offering simpler and more immediate financial incentives for insulating a home or buying an energy-efficient appliance, as well as more public awareness campaigns about the benefits of doing so. They praised the cash-for-clunkers program as an effective behavioral modification program that was well publicized and yielded an instant rebate.
For more on a worldwide array of quick actions that can reduce the human influence on climate, explore our “By Degrees” series.