Takeaway: If you were a pro-climate voter in 2019, your vote had the equivalent of taking 14 cars off the road for an entire year! In this and every election, get out and vote! The full version: Climate change, like voting in a democracy, is a collective action problem. Although both represent opportunities for meaningful change in support of the common good through the cooperation of large groups, many mistakenly view it through the lens of their own individual action, believing their efforts to be ultimately pointless against the weight of the world’s inaction. Counter to this widespread belief, voting in an election can represent the most important action a climate activist can take for both our democracy as well as our environment. Although it may seem difficult to estimate the emissions reductions achieved through a single vote, it is possible to trace a quantifiable path between voting for a pro-climate candidate and the implementation of policies that achieve emissions reductions. The 2019 Canadian federal election offers a perfect case study. Leading up to the election, four of the five major parties presented platforms that would lead to modeled reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Conservative Party of Canada, by contrast, proposed removing existing policies, including the federal carbon tax, and enacting other policies which were widely criticized by climate experts. An analysis of the two opposing front-running party platforms (Liberals and Conservatives) at that time concluded that, by the year 2030, Canada would be emitting 100 megatonnes of CO2 emissions less per year under a Liberal-led government thanks to their pro-climate policies. If we can reasonably assume that voters are responsible for the victory of a given political party, it can be said that the average pro-climate voter in the 2019 election was each responsible for reducing our national CO2 emissions by 34.2 tonnes. If you were a pro-climate voter, your vote had the equivalent of taking 14 cars off the road for an entire year. The impact of voting for the climate cannot be overstated. It is up to each of us to make the most of these infrequent, high-leverage opportunities whenever we can. Laser Talk: The Climate Impact of Your Vote
