The Metro: The carbon footprint myth and where real climate solutions begin

For decades, fossil fuel companies championed the idea that climate change is solved through everyday personal habits — change your lightbulbs, recycle more, drive less — while they continued ramping up oil and gas production. BP even popularized the now‑ubiquitous carbon footprint calculator, nudging us into changing our behaviors rather than targeting the sources of the crisis.

A recent study found that people often misjudge which personal choices matter most. Many think recycling is the biggest fix, but it is actually cutting down on long flights, eating less meat, and even deciding whether to own a dog (pets have surprisingly large carbon footprints).

When people were shown the facts, they adjusted their intentions. 

But there is a catch: when climate action was framed only as a personal checklist, participants were less likely to support big collective steps, like voting for climate policy or joining a march.

This tension speaks to the myth of personal responsibility in climate change. 

Naomi Oreskes has written widely about how industries, from tobacco to oil, push this myth to delay real action. She is a professor of the history of science at Harvard University and co-author of the books “Merchants of Doubt” and “The Big Myth.”

She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how we can shift the focus back to meaningful climate solutions.