How can I fight climate change?

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our era. It can also be difficult to determine on a personal level which actions are worth taking or how much effect they may have. Using the meta-problem you can take a step back and explore what options you might have to address your current dilemma.

Complex problems are often vague, and that means they have many possible solutions. The meta-problem you get to when you follow this process may be distant from the dilemma that started your quest. A key part of the meta-problem’s value is that it forces you to clarify what you really want and what you are willing to give up. It also enables you to compare objectively the possible pathways and their trade-offs. It prevents you locking into solutions mode too early, and then doubling down on solving a low-yield problem that does not serve your goals as well as the alternatives. At the end of this process, you will have a better understanding of your priorities and how to achieve them.

Step in the meta-problem	Illustrative Example
Dilemma The high-level issue you are trying to address	How can I fight climate change?
Goal The changes you would like to make to address the dilemma. There are usually many options. Selecting the best set comes after you learn what is possible.	Supporting Goals Reduce the effects of climate change. Reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released. Preserve fresh water. Limited investments.
Problem Space While goals tell us what we want, our next step is to understand what is holding us back from making progress on them. This approach is borrowed from calculus as we explore the neighborhood of the current dilemma.	For each goal that you are considering, ask yourself: How much progress is possible? How much effort would it take to make progress? What methods might help to make progress? What might the positive or negative effects be on the other goals as you make progress towards the current one? Example Problems: How could I reduce the effects of climate change a little? Is it about my own consumption, business choices, people I can influence, or something else? How could I reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released a little? Is it about my own consumption, business choices, people I can influence, or something else? How can I preserve fresh water? Is it about my home use, landscaping, golf habit, water used in things I consume, or something else? What is the best investment over the long term to limit the cost while reducing climate change? Are there small changes now that will have big effects over time?
High-Yield Problems Sometimes solving one problem helps make progress towards several goals. In this step, we identify these “two-for-the-price-of-one” problems.	Which Options Will Advance More Than One Goal? Influence government to change policies. If this is possible it can reduce the effects of climate change, greenhouse gases, or water consumed. It can also limit the personal effort to have big effects. Purchase from businesses that are investing in reducing climate change. A relatively small number of people paying for research and development can help identify solutions that will work in practice. Reduce my personal consumption. If I personally reduce miles driven or water used, that is a small but direct impact on reducing the effects of climate change. Talk to friends and peers to help them take one of these actions. One person can only ever have so much influence only changing their own behavior, so to maximize your impact, you need to reach others. Et cetera.
Meta-Problem Which of the many possible options in the high-yield problem step is the best set to address the dilemma?	Selection Criteria Which solutions will best address the dilemma? Which solutions will deliver the best outcome for the least amount of time, effort and money? Which solutions am I most excited to take on?
Implement, Learn and Adapt	Observe and learn as you go. New information may reveal itself as you implement your chosen solution, so check continuously that you’re still solving the right problem