© Alan Barry Ginn, updated, December 2022 
Trademarks are the property of their respective rights holder.
The question: "Can a single person's climate (or any) action make a difference?" The real answer is 'YES' and it requires thinking SMALL.
Changing habits and perceptions is very difficult, requires effort and may not be convenient. Change can be dramatic or incremental. As long as the change reduces energy and water use is the main idea.
Everyone, by now, has likely read a lot about this and probably is still in an uncertain state of denial or resistance, some more than others. Planet Earth is huge and resilient, so how could us little humans upset the ecological balance? The fact is Humanity reached the tipping point when the population was just over 4 Billion (Note 1). Today, with more than 8 Billion, humans have indeed spewed enough waste to upset ecological balances in the air, on land and in the sea.
Why an individual should do anything is a question that a lot of people ask because it seems that each person's action will make such a small dent that we wonder if it really is useful. Rest assured, action is useful, can make a difference and will gradually shift attitudes and pressure to greater conservation, as well as responsible resource use - and so on.
As the old saying states: "If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem" but it is actually more than this: "We are ALL part of the problem AND part of the solution", in other words, everyone makes an impact AND everyone must make a serious effort towards reducing GHGs and especially to reduce water and energy consumption.
The idea is that each of us can act in SMALL ways to solve BIG problems. Don't under-estimate the power of this. Millions of small actions will make a difference.
So, with respect to climate action, it follows that if the individual is taught to think in ways of conservation and reducing carbon footprint, then how can that be a 'bad' thing? The mindset of conservation becomes more and more habitual and the natural way of doing things.
No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, a contribution has been made. If enough people think the same way, then eventually, Society will develop it's own solutions to human impact simply by thinking and acting in the right direction.
This way of thinking is not new but needs to be constantly renewed and reframed. It can be applied to any large scale problem, from climate change to public transit to how to deal with waste effectively.
For people who do not accept the human contribution, these can be seen as ways to save money, energy and water, to reduce pollution, reduce consumption or just sensible ways to live in the modern world.
The production of GHGs is closely related to how much is being spent. In general, the more that most consumer items cost, the higher the amount of GHGs that went into producing it. This is not always true, however, because production of electronics have even higher levels of GHGs. This is because of the high value minerals that these items contain.
In many cases, replacing older equipment may not result in a benefit, particularly when the device still has useful life. It is necessary to think about the total cost of the replacement item and whether the savings in usage will offset this cost along with the disposal of and lost usage of the older item. Replace the device when it makes sense to do so.
Keep in mind that hidden in the purchase price of the item is the cost to produce, warehouse and ship the product. There is also a cost to dispose of the item. Each of these steps consume energy and generate carbon.
If the device still has useful life and you feel compelled to replace it, make sure to donate it or give it to someone. Or just put it at the end of the driveway, like many people are doing these days.
One sure way that individual action can make a difference is in asking questions about the products that we consume. Also ask government representatives what they are doing and what policies are being implemented to promote reduction of energy and water consumption. This will trigger knock-on effects with potentially far-reaching implications.
Indigenous peoples have it right with the approach of respect for our home, Mother Earth. Humanity must give up its sense of unbridled entitlement to take without giving back.
Canadians use a lot of energy and generate a lot of waste. There are simple things that everyone can do and make a BIG difference: It is an individual decision, every time, but sustainable options are always going to be better choices. There is a direct relationship between energy use and production of GHGs where about half of household consumption is for air conditioning and heating.
Here's a breakdown of the biggest energy use categories in the typical home: (source: Direct Energy)
Hydro Québec states slightly different values for the five biggest power grabbers, taken as the average across all Québec households:(source: Hydro Quebec)
We're not fully mindful about how much we spend on energy because the payments are made monthly or each time we gas up but the cumulative cost is quite high ... If you do think about it, "According to Statistics Canada, in 2019 the average Ontario household spent about $5,400 a year on water, electricity, heating, and communications combined. This comes out to around $450 a month". (Note 2) In 2022, the cost to heat a house is seen to jump by 50 - 100%. So even a 5% savings will save enough to make a noticeable difference to your bank account and to reduce carbon emissions.
Air conditioning, heating and water heating (60 - 70%): Installing a heat pump compared to a gas furnace can save quite a bit on heating costs but, according to Carrier, a major heat pump manufacturer, there may be no advantage to a heat pump during the Summer cooling season:
"From a cooling perspective, minus a few technical details, heat pumps and air conditioners are essentially the same when operating in cooling mode, with no significant difference in operation, efficiency, or energy costs."
Significantly, heat pumps produce less heat for air conditioning and therefore contribute less to the warming of outside air in Summer. They are also quite a bit quieter. As well, with the rapidly increasing cost of natural gas, the heat pump is becoming more attractive as an add on to a gas powered heating system. This may mean it can be sized smaller and bring down the cost.
"A dual fuel system includes both a heat pump and a gas furnace and will operate the heat pump during milder temperatures when the heat pump is more efficient, and as the outdoor temperature gets colder the system will automatically switch over to the gas furnace. Not only does this give the homeowner the best comfort in their house, but it switches back and forth between the heat pump and gas furnace depending on which is most efficient, saving homeowners the most amount of money." (source: Trane)
The real savings in these systems is by switching more energy use to electricity and to reduce the amount of fossil fuel being burnt and the related output of GHGs. Of course, in areas where the electricity is produced by fossil fuel fired plants, there is no advantage. As of 2015, only 10% of Ontario's energy is produced by natural gas fired plants.
Other ways to save costs are to turn down the thermostat in winter and avoid A/C in summer; set thermostat to save energy when not at home; reduce water consumption as much as you can; saving energy and water are key to saving money and reducing carbon footprint; clean furnace filters that may block air flow.
Look at installing green energy systems. In recent years, green technology has improved and also come down in price. The cost to use and maintain green energy for your home may not be that much more than the on-grid supply. In addition, governments are offering numerous incentives to install these systems.
Eating: Less beef, lamb and cheese, more poultry and vegetables; reducing food waste and plastic packaging are key. Meat production, as it is currently, is not sustainable. Same for palm oil and other industrially produced commodities. Think too about food transportation over long distances. Buy from local producers when you can.
Transportation: Avoid personal automobile use whenever possible. Use public transport; on a day-to-day basis, plan trips to include more errands and leave the car at home, when you can; walk or bike; make that car last, even an extra year will reduce the cost of personal transport and reduce both cost of production and cost of disposal.
Idling: don't idle more than you need to. Modern cars don't need to idle more than a minute; idling a 3 litre engine for ten minutes burns a litre of fuel and releases a pound, or more of carbon! If you exit your car, turn it off.
Online Shopping: Avoid buying multiple items and returning most of them. The return shipping is a huge cost. In fact, many online stores are stopping returns as a free service.
Shopping: Combine shopping excursions to avoid making unnecessary car trips.
Travel: Take fewer vacations and stay longer; use most direct route to avoid stopovers; buy carbon offsets; choose sustainable or eco options; avoid cruises and all-inclusive stays; carry the least amount of luggage possible.
- Do I really need this?
- Are 'single use' products really the best choice?
- Is there a purchase option that avoids plastic packaging? Kudos to manufacturers that no longer use styrofoam.
- Is this the most efficient product that I can buy?
It really is up to all of us to think about and make choices that reduce water and energy consumption, however you like to achieve this is up to you!
Professor Naomi Oreskes says actions of climate denialists are laying the foundations for the government interventions they fear the most: "Q: What would you do about it? A: What I am doing: writing and talking about it, so we can accurately diagnose the problem. You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know what it is".
Buying an electric car, or even a hybrid, makes sense only if your personal use will result in an overall savings. Calculate the full cost for your own usage. Making cars is very energy intense, so there is a lot of energy use and carbon production even before you start the car for the first time. It is important to realize there is a significant cost to producing a car, and getting it to market; also disposal of the car at the end of it's life has costs too. These costs must be factored in.
Sometimes, depending on individual use, these costs can eclipse the cost to use the car. Definitely driving a larger vehicle than you really need should make that choice relatively straightforward. Don't buy any car before your current car has been fully used up. See article: EVs - To buy or not to buy.
Moving up the food and energy chains, think about the biggest sources of GHG emission: Agriculture and industry - and how your own choices and purchases might influence the producer companies. Consider not buying products from companies that create carbon and methane with no goal to reduce or conserve. Buy local produce, where possible, even when it is slightly more expensive. As these producers reach scale, their prices will compete.
Making sustainable choices means compromising a little to achieve an overall benefit. So, a little discomfort —as well as stepping away from conventional thinking, will be necessary. The notion of 'keeping up with the joneses' is not a sustainable option when you really consider all the costs of doing so. If we all take some action to reduce GHGs, it will make a difference. So, when you send that message to your elected officials, you know you've done your part too.
Final note: Be aware that when you throw something out in the wild or on the road, it can take a very long time for the item to break down. Plastic bottles take an estimated 450 years, aluminum cans take an estimated 200 years and tin cans take an estimated 50 years. Plastic bags take an estimated 20 years to break down. So, while you have gotten rid of the problem for yourself, it definitely remains a problem for someone else for a long long time. Improper disposal of waste is a dangerous practice. Even improper recycling can result in waste plastics ending up in oceans that are seen as infinitely capable of absorbing this trash. Plastics, and microplastics after they've broken down, are now found everywhere. They will never disappear. As it currently stands, these plastics cannot be removed and will become consumed by animals and fishes, eventually reaching into human consumption.
Cheers and feel free to share or discuss, Barry
Note 1: See: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ - World population has nearly doubled in just 45 years!!
(Note 2) What is the average cost of utilities for a house in Ontario and why is it increasing? by Corben Grant on 31 May 2022; https://www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca/expert-advice/what-is-the-average-cost-of-utilities-for-a-house-in-ontario-and-why-is-it-increasing-335134.aspx
© Alan Barry Ginn, updated, December 2022 Trademarks are the property of their respective rights holder.