The climate impact of owning a dog

This story is original Featured on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk Collaboration.

I’ve been vegan for over a decade. It’s not because of my health, or because I don’t like the taste of chicken or beef: it’s a lifestyle choice I made because I wanted to reduce my impact on the planet. However, twice a day, every day, I lovingly scoop a cup of meat-based food into a bowl and feed it to my 50-pound dog, a husky mix named Lockie.

Until recently, I had not devoted much thought to this paradox. Then I read an article in the Associated Press titled, “People often misjudge climate choices, study says. Among the surprises is owning a dog.”

The study, led by environmental psychology researcher Danielle Goldwaert and published in the journal PNAS Nexus, looked at how people perceive the climate impact of various behaviors – choices such as “adopt a plant-based diet for at least one year,” or “switch from a fossil fuel car to renewable public transportation.” The team found that participants generally overestimated a number of low-impact actions such as recycling and using efficient appliances, and also significantly underestimated the impact of other personal decisions, including the decision “not to buy or adopt a dog.”

The real goal of the study was to find out whether certain types of climate information could help people adhere to more effective actions. But just hours after the AP published its article, its target was recast as something else entirely: attacks on furry family members. “Climate change is actually your fault because you have a dog,” one Reddit user wrote. Others in the community expressed their outrage, ridiculing the idea that a pet Chihuahua could be the cause of the climate crisis, and calling on researchers and the media to stop pointing the finger at ordinary individuals.

Goldwairt and her fellow researchers watched the reactions with horror. “If I saw a headline that said, ‘Climate scientists want to take your dogs away,’ I would be upset, too,” she said. “They certainly don’t,” she added. “You can quote me on that.”

Loki smiles during a hike in the Pacific Northwest.

Photography: Claire Elise Thompson/Grist