In the latest issue of Sierra Magazine, Seattleite Seth Zuckerman recounts the results of his personal experiment:
To find some answers, I decided to try three carbon dioxide diets. First, that of the typical American. I would see how my consumption measures up to the national average and attempt (briefly) to burn as much fuel as my fellow citizens. Next, I’d investigate what it would take to bring my emissions down to the world average, the level of countries such as Jamaica and Romania. Finally, I’d try to produce no more than my share of what Earth’s natural systems can handle.
It’s amusing — give it a read. Everything I would have to say about it is said in this insightful post on Sightline by Mackenzie Berg, which concludes — along with Zuckerman, her fellow Sightliners, and, um, me — that there’s only so much an individual can do. The answer ultimately lies in public policy.
