It turns out many Americans misjudge which personal behaviors contribute most to climate change. For example, a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found that Americans overestimate the benefit of a smaller action like recycling and underestimate the benefit of a bigger action like choosing not to take a plane flight. Experts say that’s because people are more likely to assign more weight to actions that are easier to imagine, and that are more often discussed or highlighted. The study also found that when participants were exposed to accurate information about which actions were most effective, they were more committed to allocating time to actions that had more impact.
Which choices contribute most to climate change? Most people miss the mark, one study found
