According to the passage, why do individual actions matter?
Does it matter what an individual does about climate change? A single person's emissions are a tiny part of the total; nothing that one person does will change the climate by a measurable amount. From this some conclude that individual action is pointless. The conclusion does not follow. The same reasoning would show that voting is pointless, since no single vote usually decides an election. Individual actions matter in aggregate, and they matter because they shape what others see as normal and what firms and governments find it profitable or popular to do. At the same time, to put the burden on individuals alone is a way of letting those with greater power off lightly. The question is not whether people should act, but how personal choices and collective rules can reinforce one another.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. They add up and influence what others and institutions regard as normal
- Step 1: The passage says individual actions matter in aggregate and shape what others see as normal and what firms and governments find profitable or popular.
- Step 2: The only choice consistent with this is "They add up and influence what others and institutions regard as normal".
Answer
They add up and influence what others and institutions regard as normal.
Why not the others: Measurable change is denied, and law, cost and voting are not mentioned.
Practise more Environment and ethics.
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