On First Thought

Welcome to the first attempt. My thoughts aren't motivated in any way, I merely look through the lens focused on our planet. Not every topic I find to ramble about will resonate with everyone, but I hope the perspective is meaningful, nonetheless. Firstly, lets lay out some rolled up numbers published by EDGAR and the European Commission.

In 2023 the United States made up roughly 10% of global CO2 emissions with slightly less than 5% of the global population. India, for example, has four times the population and is contributing around 7% of global CO2 emissions. China, on the other hand, has a similar population to India and is contributing over 30% of global CO2 emissions. With a little number crunching, China ends up ~20% more 'efficient' per capita when compared to the US, Russia, and Australia. By this metric alone, India emits one-sixth of the CO2 per person compared to the US. These countries are obviously far from comparing apples to apples. I did find it interesting, and was perhaps even a bit surprised, that the US is really in-line with other advanced economies when comparing per capita emissions. It's generally accepted that approximately 25% of these US emissions are from transportation. The EPA had it at 28% in 2022.

Eliminating transportation can't be the goal here. Hyper efficient modes of transportation will help move the needle towards progress but the runway for all of this green tech universally solving all of the problems is just too long. Behaviors must change. Let's not start throwing shade at ourselves every time we top off with dinosaur juice either, also not the point. We are after long lasting culture change and adjusting of the norm. Again, I'm hoping to help you make meaningful daily decisions, not just feel worse about the world. Trends make an impact.

Many places across the US are extremely car dependent. The best way to reduce this dependency is to prove it's not so bad without them. Walk. Ride your bike. Take the bus. Carpool. Honestly, I'm still talking to you EV owners. Put yourself in a situation where fewer miles hit the odometer, period. In a world driven by consumerism, drive less.

This is a loaded ask for many. Families are busy, work is work, weather sucks, and of course - insert all of the hand waving that keeps you busy, I get it. I have two tiny ones and know how much convenience can mean. I'm not imploring you to sell the car but rather give pause to think about the messaging we promote while frustrated in bumper-to-bumper traffic, in contrast to the calm of a walk. When able, adjust the expectations, slow down. Invest in the bike that makes it fun for you, listen to that podcast you never have time for, sing along to your favorites. Hell, be the village idiot if you must. Without usage, the access to these other modes of transport will only get worse.

Certainly, the largest knob most of us have to turn is our commute, whether it be the kids to school or lugging our happy asses back to the coal mines. Remote work isn't an option for most and isn't desired for some. If it's your thing, do it. I'll say this, if and when the opportunity presents itself, whether via a job change or moving houses, consider the transportation required and start with climate minded habits. If you walk to work at the beginning it won't seem so daunting later. If you just try out the bus schedule once, then you know it probably wasn't as chaotic as you'd imagined. Research what options you have and just give one that works for you a try.

As a sidebar - If you are rural, and you're still here, I must say, I appreciate you! I grew up on a farm and acknowledge how much the above doesn't apply outside of a metro area. It's realistically a bit more about vehicle choice in rural America, but my only two thoughts are: bum a ride when you can and make a list for the store, so you don't have to turn around and drive back to town when you remember as you turn onto gravel. Not that this ever happens of course.

I won't attempt to categorize all of the other miles we all are putting on vehicles but here are some considerations that I have personally found useful. When moving to our home and learning about the area I determined the radius of services and stores that I would walk to, and that was that. For instance, I know if I need a grocery run in the evening, have a pharmacy pickup, or a dental appointment my default is to walk. It's now just a part of the process, second nature if you will. In fairness, I live in a fairly walkable location, but I think many underestimate the utility of a bike. They can shrink a suburb pretty quickly. My challenge isn't to start hoofing it everywhere. Rather, if your initial response was to scoff "nothing is bikeable, let alone walkable for me" I challenge you to at least toss your problems to Google maps and get off of "car mode". There are all sorts of apps built for this. Learn what options exist and try one. Just start. I'm no pro, but I have managed to take that step initially for exercise reasons and I know many who would appreciate the quality of sleep that follows moving your body and getting some fresh air.

The internet would love to help you quantify how little of an impact this behavior change will have on our climate. Your impact alone? Sure, minimal. You and the seven other people that might read this? Ok, fine, also minimal. The value here is in the kid bored out of their mind in the backseat of the car driving by that asks why that weirdo is walking around a residential neighborhood. The value is in bumping into your neighbor, surviving the pleasantries (because, yes, it is good for you every once in a while), mentioning where you're heading and that it "isn't so bad". The next time they grab the keys to go to the same, they might pause to think about that big green windbag who wouldn't stop yapping about "putting miles on my shoes instead of my tires".