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The past 11 years have been the 11 warmest years on record. The next 11 will be even warmer. It may feel like nothing we can do as individuals will make a difference to stem the climate crisis. But this is a mistake. Individual actions do matter, just not the way we usually think.

Mostly we think about making a difference in straightforward, material terms. If the issue is climate change, and we know that climate change is caused by greenhouse gases, then we ask, “What can I do to reduce my share of greenhouse gases—my personal carbon footprint?”

The problem with this way of thinking is that each of us contributes an infinitesimally small drop in the bucket of global greenhouse gases. Suppose the question is whether to ride a bike to work instead of drive. Burning a gallon of gas in a car generates about 20 pounds of carbon pollution. In 2024, humans put about 41.6 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere. That’s a ratio of about 1 to 4.5 trillion, or one teeny tiny drop in a damn big bucket.

Many in the climate community have switched from emphasizing your personal carbon footprint—a concept popularized by the oil giant BP, after all—to emphasizing your political footprint. “If you want to do one thing about climate change,” science educator Bill Nye says, it’s “vote.”

Yes, definitely, please do vote. But this doesn’t solve the “big bucket” problem. Have you ever cast the deciding vote in an election? Maybe in your five-person book club, but almost certainly not in a consequential statewide or national election. Social scientists call this the “paradox of voting.” Given the........

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