Americans Taking Steps to Lower Their Carbon Emissions

Bala Sivaraman, while residing in Washington, the US capital, chooses to drive an electric car, purchases second-hand clothing and furniture, and prepares his vegan meals using an induction stove he acquired after replacing his gas oven.

Sim Bilal relies exclusively on public transportation—not easy in car-centric Los Angeles—uses refurbished technology and lives in an apartment equipped with solar panels.

As world leaders prepare to meet next month at the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, some environmentally conscious Americans are showing that it’s possible to curb their carbon emissions and align their actions with their values in a country where such lifestyle choices are rare. .

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“When we’re inundated with a lot of climate doomsday news, it can be really hard to feel like we have something to ground ourselves on,” Sivaraman told AFP.

“There’s something so powerful about living a sustainable life or committing to zero-waste practices that it gives us a sense of hope because it takes back our power.”

The young men living on opposite ends of the country work as environmental activists, and their carbon footprint is 3-4 tons per year, according to carbonfootprint.com’s own estimates.

That’s well below the average American’s annual footprint of about 15 tons, which is about three times the global average.

On a brisk autumn day, Sivaraman brings his compost to a local community garden, opens a sorting bin and begins placing leftover vegan hotdogs, paper plates and other biodegradable materials inside.

“This was from a party at my friend’s animal shelter the other day,” the 28-year-old, who works in communications at the nonprofit Earthjustice, says, covering the pile with dry brown waste to help the decomposition process.

After six months, the nutrient-rich soil is used in neighboring plots to grow tomatoes, cilantro and other vegetables.

“Composting diverts organic waste from landfills,” he explains, and because it decomposes in the presence of oxygen, it produces far less methane, which affects the climate. It also helps foster a sense of common purpose and community, he adds.

– Saving and skating –

Bilal, 21, got his first taste of direct action last year after disrupting the Los Angeles mayoral debates and making local news when he led calls for candidates to release their climate action plans.

“This is the number one problem of my generation,” he told AFP. He now organizes the California Green New Deal Coalition and the Youth Climate Strike in Los Angeles.

Although getting a driver’s license is enough for American teenagers, Bilal decided at the age of 16 that the climate costs were too much to bear.

When he’s not riding the Los Angeles subway or taking long-distance trains, he can be found on his One Wheel: a self-balancing electric skateboard he considers essential for the Last Mile in a city where public transportation may be lacking.

The clothes he wears in the video interview are four years old, and his iPad is a five-year-old model that he recently repaired after its screen cracked rather than buy a new one—measures that embody his philosophy of buying less. and buy to last.

“It’s hard because some things look really cool — maybe you want to jump on the bandwagon, but for me it’s not worth the price,” he adds.

Sivaraman — who is also involved in direct action with the Sunrise movement and was first arrested in September at the Federal Reserve building in New York — said his health and well-being had only improved as he made more climate-conscious choices.

The idea that giving up fossil fuels would lead to a “disciplined, sad life” for people is a “very effective PR tactic” that the industry is pushing, he said.

“In general – health, emotional happiness, financial… There are so many benefits to living zero waste, living sustainably, and I’m living proof that it is.”

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