The Climate Impact of Owning a Dog
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
I have been vegetarian for over a decade. It’s not because of my health, nor because I don’t like the taste of chicken or beef: it’s a lifestyle choice that I made because I wanted to reduce my impact on the planet. And yet, twice a day, every day, I lovingly put a cup of meat-based kibble in a bowl and set it down for my 50-pound rescue dog, a husky mix named Loki.
Until recently, I hadn’t thought much about this paradox. Then I read an article in the Associated Press titled “People often miscalculate climate choices, study finds. One surprise is owning a dog.”
The study, led by environmental psychology researcher Danielle Goldwert and published in the journal PNAS Nexus, looked at how people perceive the climate impact of various behaviors – options like “eat a vegan diet for at least a year” or “switch from fossil fuel cars to renewable public transport.” The team found that participants generally overestimated a number of low-impact actions, such as recycling and using efficient appliances, and largely underestimated the impact of other personal decisions, including the decision to “not buy or adopt a dog.”
The real goal of the study was to see if certain types of climate information could help people engage in more effective actions. But just hours after the AP published its story, its goal had been completely redefined: an attack on people’s furry family members. “Climate change is actually your fault for having a dog,” one Reddit user wrote. Other members of the community reacted angrily, ridiculing the idea that a pet Chihuahua could be causing the climate crisis and calling on researchers and the media to stop pointing the finger at ordinary individuals.
Goldwert and his fellow researchers watched the reactions with dismay. “If I saw a headline that said, ‘Climatologists want to take away your dogs,’ I would feel upset, too,” she said. “They definitely don’t,” she added. “You can quote me on that.”
