Great Green House Gas Chart

This story from Christopher M. Jones, Berkeley Institute of the Environment, University of California, Berkeley

One cannot overestimate the power of consumers to influence climate change. Virtually all of the 26 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere each year globally from energy can be traced to goods and services consumed by individuals and households. Due to the global economy's dependence on fossil fuels for energy, every dollar spent by consumers results in the release of climate warming gases to the atmosphere. But which decisions result in the greatest impacts? Which ones can be avoided? Is reducing consumption the answer, or can we somehow buy our way out of the problem? The exact answer depends on values and lifestyle choices of each individual, but every individual can make a difference through purchasing choices.

The first step towards climate-friendly purchasing is to understand the relative contribution of consumer decisions to your total climate footprint. On average, every $1,300 consumers spend on food releases about 1 tonne of CO2 into the atmosphere and every $2,000 spent on goods (motor vehicles, clothes, appliances, household supplies, toys, furniture, etc.), also results in about 1 tonne of CO2. So, living with less stuff means fewer emissions... but, of course, it also means living with less stuff and that's not necessarily what you want
Fortunately, there are many ways for individuals to reduce their climate footprint without giving up quality of life. If you're inclined, reducing beef, dairy, and heavily processed foods could save your household several tonnes of CO2 each year. For example, research shows that completely eliminating meat would save households 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per year (equivalent to 145 gallons of gasoline), and substituting the same number of pounds of beef for chicken would save the average U.S. household almost half a tonne of CO2 per year. Buying second-hand goods (particularly clothes) and repairing or maintaining existing goods can also make a huge difference. Perhaps most importantly, if instead of buying stuff, people spent more money on services, activities and information (essentially paying for people's creativity) great fun would still be had, while helping the economy transition into one with far less environmental impact.

So how can individuals do their share? Carbon neutrality is the ultimate answer: start by reducing as many emissions as possible and then using carbon offsets to achieve the rest. See our story on buying offsets, which will help you understand how they work and how to pick high quality.

-- Christopher M. Jones, Berkeley Institute of the Environment, University of California, Berkeley. Visit Chris' consumer-based carbon calculator, www.carbonneutral.org , to better understand the direct and indirect impacts of your consumer purchases of goods and services. --