Recycling Overrated, Flying Underestimated: Study Reveals Climate Awareness Gap

According to a study published in July 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences, many Americans struggle to accurately assess the climate impact of their personal decisions. The research reveals a significant disconnect between people's perceptions and the actual carbon footprint of various actions.

Participants in the study tended to overestimate the impact of relatively low-emission activities like recycling, changing light bulbs, and using energy-efficient appliances. Meanwhile, they underestimated the outsized climate toll of high-emission behaviors such as air travel, dog ownership, and meat consumption.

Experts say this misalignment stems from a combination of factors. Marketing campaigns have historically focused more on promoting recycling and energy efficiency, rather than highlighting the climate consequences of flying or meat-heavy diets. Additionally, the human brain is wired to more easily recognize visible actions like recycling, while the invisible nature of carbon emissions makes it harder to associate them with specific behaviors.

"People over-assign impact to actually pretty low-impact actions such as recycling, and underestimate the actual carbon impact of behaviors much more carbon intensive, like flying or eating meat," explained Madalina Vlasceanu, a co-author of the report and professor at Stanford University.

The study's findings suggest that providing more accessible information and education could help bridge this awareness gap. After receiving feedback on the actual climate impacts, participants were more willing to commit to high-impact actions to combat global warming.

"People do learn from these interventions," said Vlasceanu. "After learning, they are more willing to commit to actually more impactful actions."