Edit: I wanted to apologize after reading some of the comments. You raise some legitimate points, I realize that there is a subtle malthusian element to this chart and some of you feel like a burden already. Furthermore, you raise a good point about corporate pollution, oil companies, and how their footprint is much greater than average plebs like us.
That’s 100% valid and I don’t disagree with you at all. My “compromise” I guess would be that continue to apply pressure and protest against large corporations, but in terms of ourselves, just pick a few things you can cut down on yourself, it does not have to be everything on this list.
For example, I really prefer having animal products in my diet, but I am willing to live in a small apartment , car-free, and not go on vacation much in my adulthood. In the same way, you guys can pick what you are comfortable with in reducing and what you do not want to compromise on.
All of us have different standards of living and we are flexible on some things, and some things we are not flexible. That is alright, just consider changing what you are comfortable with, but please do not think you are a burden. Your presence and your life is valuable to me. I don’t like to demoralize people.
i don’t have sources, but i feel like eliminating all animal products should be higher up. Especially the more people do it, with the goal of abolishing all animal agriculture. Cause birthing, raising, feeding and killing 80 billion mammals EVERY YEAR has gotta be more than a flight.
Looking at a couple of sites shows a vegetarian diet produces something like 4-4.5 tons of Co2e a year, and vegan 3-3.5 tons. A “normal” diet ranges between 7 and 10 tons, probably depending on your definition of normal. Other sites list 1.5, 1.7 and 3.5 tons for vegan/vegetarian/regular.
The big gain seems to be dropping meat, with everything else* adding another 10% or so savings. But 1 tons of CO2 is roughly equivalent to driving your mid-sized (european mid-sized, that is) car for 5000km.
*These numbers are purely diet. I can’t seem to find anything for a whole lifestyle.
You’re right, but it’s looking at individual action. Everyone giving up meat would obviously outweigh one person taking a flight. But everyone not taking flights would obviously make a tremendously bigger difference as well.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m vegan and proponent of veganism, but you can’t argue that everyone giving up meat is a fair comparison to one person giving up a flight.