Tangent
Pew asked survey respondents if they engage in any of five environmentally friendly behaviors: turning off the lights when no one is home, recycling, limiting home water use, buying clothes or other goods secondhand, and carpooling. Almost everyone said they did at least one activity, most commonly turning off the lights when no one is using them (95%), but they said they don’t do it to help the environment—they do it to save money.
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Big Number
About two-thirds. That’s how many Americans say they regularly recycle. Most said they do it to help the environment (76%) and about one-in-five said they recycle because it’s required where they live.
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Key Background
The vast majority of active climate scientists (97%) agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change, according to NASA. The Environmental Protection Agency says there are multiple lines of evidence showing changes in temperature and precipitation patterns; increases in ocean temperature, sea level and acidity; melting glaciers and sea ice; more frequent and extreme weather events; and changes to ecosystem patterns, like the length of the growing season and migration of birds. Those changes are caused by a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the subsequent warming of the planet due to the greenhouse effect, according to the EPA, much of which is driven by human behavior. Humans create greenhouse gases by burning fossil fuels for heat and energy, clearing forests, fertilizing crops, storing waste in landfills, raising livestock, manufacturing industrial products and dozens of other behaviors that introduce more carbon into the atmosphere.
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Further Reading
ForbesIn 2026, Climate Change Is No Longer A Theoretical RiskBy Dianne PlummerForbesEvaluating The Evidence For Climate Change—And Its ImpactsBy Dianne PlummerForbesScientists Are Counting The Diseases Climate Change CausesBy John Drake