Our entire world is obsessed with aesthetics now. Wealth, consumption and luxury have been huge themes as the divide between the rich and not-so-rich has grown and the aperture on the sparkling, picture-perfect lives of others has opened. In this climate, who has room to think about… climate?
And yet, the devastating impacts of climate change continue to ravage our planet and make our futures seem bleaker than ever before. Watch one documentary about water reserves, pollution, or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and you’re in a deep depression for the weekend. Now experts warn that global soil degradation has reached a critical point. Estimates suggest only about 50 to 60 years of viable agricultural topsoil remaining if current, chemical-heavy farming and erosion rates continue. Global water reserves are in a state of “water bankruptcy,” defined as a persistent, long-term failure where consumption exceeds renewable supply. These facts all seem insurmountable. In the great year of 2026, how can we find ways to stay informed while still staying hopeful?
Climate-related overwhelm is a real problem. In the face of such overwhelm, it’s often a great approach to focus on what you can control. The fact that ten companies produce 70% of the world’s pollution isn’t something you can control, beyond not supporting those companies to the extent that you can remove them from the supply chain of your goods (which is often nigh impossible). It’s easy to look at facts like that and think, “my impact will be tiny at best. Why switch to paper straws when the cards are stacked against us?”
Don’t underestimate individual impact
And yet, individual impact matters greatly. While the average American footprint is 16 tons of carbon dioxide yearly, individual lifestyle shifts combined with policy advocacy can drive up to 70% of global emission cuts by 2050. Personal actions, such as adopting a more plant-based diet, eliminating car usage, or reducing air travel can collectively address 25–30% of necessary emissions reductions. Eliminating a car can save roughly 2.4 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Being the change you want to see in the world inspires others around you. Only 10% to 30% of a population adopting sustainable behaviors is sufficient to reach social tipping points, triggering broader, faster societal adoption of climate-friendly norms. Google comparative emissions, energy types used, and waste by state – you’ll be shocked how the collective can have an impact. If everyone made small, consistent changes, like reducing food waste, upgrading to LED lighting, or using public transport, it would essentially eliminate the combined yearly emissions of China, the U.S., India, the E.U., and Russia.
There’s a different barrier to adopting these kinds of lifestyle changes too, though: identity. The cultural obsession with aesthetics we referenced earlier ties a lot of folks to a certain set of attributes. The Pilates princess, for example, while health minded, isn’t necessarily likely to want to reduce plastic waste by skipping Starbucks or forgo an alo yoga set for something with fewer fast fashion production practices. Paleo bros who subscribe to the Liver King’s penchant for the health benefits of offal might scoff at reducing their steak intake to blunt their impact on global water supply. In short, mixing more sustainable practices with the subcategory the algorithm has filed you under might create the biggest bogeyman: cognitive dissonance.
Is there any point in being eco-friendly anymore?
Believe it or not, amid the overwhelm and confusion, there is hope for shifting your conscious consumption to eco conscious consumption. It can be done in simple ways, and in ways that still look and feel good. Here are some of our favorites:
- First, remember that “reduce, reuse, recycle” is in that order for a reason. The very best thing you can do is reduce your own impact. How? Through actions such as driving less (take the train?), creating less waste (wait and combine deliveries?), etc. Bonus: this one usually saves you money instead of costing you money.
- Did you know that the vast majority of toilet paper is produced from virgin wood? 100% recycled and bamboo are good options – Target’s Everspring brand is an affordable (and nonterrible) alternative.
- Paper towels are just as bad, and in fact producing one ton of paper towels requires about 17 (seventeen) trees. Whole Foods and Target both produce recycled and bamboo ones.
- You’ve heard of the impact AI has on water use. Now, you’re seeing it in every application you use. Skip some of your impact by disabling AI functions. You can even skip the AI summary on Google search results by doing “-ai” at the end of your query.
Will taking these steps solve the climate crisis alone? Of course not. But each small step each person takes can compound to something greater. I know we feel like we have bigger things to worry about today. Still, wrongs we should right on this planet aren’t mutually exclusive. You can care about geopolitics and take actions that are less wasteful and more sustainable at the same time. And while you might have zero control over those crises, at least this is one that in some small way you can contribute to positively.
