People often miscalculate climate choices, a study says. One surprise is owning a dog

It turns out that many Americans wrongly judge which personal behavior contributes most to climate change. For example, a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences revealed that Americans overestimate the advantages of a smaller action such as recycling and underestimate the advantage of a greater action like choosing not to take a flight by plane. Experts say that it is because people are more likely to attribute more weight to actions that are easier to imagine, and which are more often discussed or highlighted. The study also revealed that when the participants were exposed to precise information on the most effective actions, they were more determined to allocate time to actions that had more impact.