What Can
I Do?

Not all actions are equal. Research by Seth Wynes and Kimberly Nicholas (2017) identified the actions with the largest individual carbon footprint reductions. The top four: have one fewer child (not applicable to everyone), live car-free, avoid one transatlantic flight, and eat a plant-based diet.

For most people, the most actionable high-impact steps are: go car-free or switch to an EV, fly less (especially long-haul), shift to a plant-rich diet with significantly less beef and dairy, and switch to a heat pump and renewable electricity. These four changes can reduce an individual's carbon footprint by 50–80%.

Research consistently shows that political engagement has a larger impact than individual lifestyle changes. A 2021 study found that climate-engaged citizens — those who vote on climate, contact elected officials, and participate in advocacy — have 4× more impact than those who only make personal lifestyle changes.

This includes: voting for candidates with strong climate platforms, contacting your MP, MPP, or city councillor, joining or supporting climate organizations, participating in public consultations on energy and land use policy, and divesting your bank and pension from fossil fuels. Collective action changes the systems that determine everyone's emissions.

Where you keep your money matters. Major banks — including RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, and CIBC in Canada — are among the world's largest financiers of fossil fuel expansion. Switching to a credit union or bank with a fossil-free policy removes your capital from the problem.

Your pension or retirement savings may also be invested in fossil fuel companies. Tools like Fossil Free Funds let you check your mutual funds and ETFs for fossil fuel exposure. Many pension funds now offer fossil-free options. Divestment is not just symbolic — it shifts capital, raises the cost of fossil fuel financing, and sends a signal to markets.

Social norms are one of the most powerful drivers of behaviour change. Research shows that when people talk about climate change with friends, family, and colleagues, it shifts attitudes and behaviours — creating a social multiplier effect that extends far beyond any individual action.

Yale Climate Communication research identifies six "Americas" of climate opinion — from the "alarmed" to the "dismissive." Most people are in the middle: concerned but not engaged. Effective climate conversations focus on shared values, local impacts, and solutions rather than doom and blame. Asking questions and listening is more effective than lecturing.

Climate anxiety and grief are normal, healthy responses to a genuine crisis. The American Psychiatric Association recognizes eco-anxiety as a real phenomenon affecting millions of people. Feeling overwhelmed does not mean you are weak — it means you understand the stakes.

The key is not to suppress the grief, but to channel it. Research shows that people who acknowledge their climate emotions and connect with others who share them are more likely to stay engaged over the long term — not less. Community, purpose, and action are the antidotes to paralysis. You do not have to solve the whole problem. You have to do your part.