In the midst of ecological crises, many are wondering how to act on their scale to reverse the situation. An overview of individual actions that will most effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and chemical pollution.

Where to start reducing your carbon footprint?

The carbon footprint of the French is on average 9.9 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. However, we would have control over 25 % to 45 % of our emissions, according to estimate, which was conducted in 2019 by the consulting firm Carbone 4. That's not all, but it's not nothing either. In this study, titled Doing your part, Carbone 4 evaluated the most effective actions. Going vegetarian, cycling, and stopping flying are at the top of the list. Switching from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet is also the gesture with the highest impact, as it can reduce an individual's carbon footprint by around 10 %. By combining this behavior with financial investments (renovating the house, replacing the boiler, switching to an electric vehicle), a particularly committed person (according to the study with "heroic" behavior) can in principle reduce his carbon footprint by almost half. MyCO2, an emanation of Carbone 4, has studied in detail the main sources of each emission, as you will see below, at the head of which we find the car. So many levers to act on. (Justine Prados)