Humanity has less than 11 years to save the planet from irreversible damage caused by climate change, according to the United Nations. 

So, it makes sense that one of the most common topics of conversation at the recent U.N. Youth Climate Summit was, “What can individuals do to help?”

Many ideas were thrown around, including encouraging people to vote and call out certain politicians and companies. However, the young leaders who took the stage at the event primarily focused on emphasizing the power of individual action and sustainable consumerism. They advised individuals to be conscious of where they shop, what they buy, what they eat and how they travel.

“Every little bit helps. The more people we have involved, the more we can do. And collective action matters,” Nehali Anupriya, an analyst in the Sustainable Development Cluster of the Office of the President of the 73rd Session of the U.N. General Assembly, said at the event. 

Individual acts of sustainability like going vegan, refusing to buy fast-fashion clothing, using energy-efficient light bulbs, taking public transportation or buying electric vehicles have been advertised by sustainability bloggers and magazine writers for years. And to some, they appear relatively meaningless. 

Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren even recently suggested that such efforts, while still worthwhile, are mostly distractions from going after the primary emitters. 

“Oh come on, give me a break,” Warren said at CNN’s climate forum. “This is exactly what the fossil fuel industry hopes we’re all talking about … They want to stir up a lot of controversy around your light bulbs, around your straws, and around your cheeseburgers, when 70 percent of the carbon that we’re throwing into the air comes from three industries.”

She’s right. The vast majority of carbon emissions come from 100 companies that are mostly within the oil, electric power and building industries.

But some responsibility does fall back on the consumer. 

“To be clear, it’s the consumers that actually burn and demand the fossil fuels that these companies provide,” Richard Heede, the co-founder and co-director of the Climate Accountability Institute, told Vox. 

“The companies may have some responsibility for their product — for lobbying in favor of the carbon economy, and for getting subsidies and arguing for subsidies — but some responsibility ought to fall on individuals, households, and corporations,” he continued. “What the companies do is produce the fuels, extract and market the fuels, so that we can use them.”

So, by changing their own consumption habits, consumers might truly be able to make a difference. 

“I think the power of a consumer is much stronger than 10 years ago,” Madison Ross, Mercado Global youth representative to the U.N. Department of Global Communications, told The University Network (TUN). 

She recalls how consumers responded after they heard about Stephen Ross, owner of Equinox and SoulCycle, holding an exclusive fundraiser for President Trump’s upcoming re-election campaign. People immediately rushed to cancel their memberships. And in response, Equinox made a $1 million donation to five different charities: House Lives Matter, which supports the LGBT House Ballroom community; Cycle for Survival, which funds cancer research; The Heroes Project, which helps injured veterans; Move for Minds, an Alzheimer’s research organization; and the Felix Organization, a charity focused on aiding children in foster care. 

So, one should not underestimate the power of consumer desire and demand. It has the power to change things.

Take the fashion industry, for example. Consumer demand for sustainably made clothing has helped spark the rise of more than 100 sustainable fashion brands. And even the big dogs like Adidas and Puma have committed to improving their sustainability efforts in manufacturing and shipping. 

Amazon, the most valuable public company in the world, recently announced its plan to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2040. CEO Jeff Bezos said he expects 80 percent of Amazon’s energy usage to come from renewable energy by 2024, and by 2030, he expects to transition to zero emissions. And to help accomplish that goal, Amazon will purchase 100,000 electric delivery vans. 

And even Shell, the oil and gas giant, announced it is now planning to spend $2-3 billion each year on renewable energy. That’s still a small number, considering the company’s annual budget is $30 billion, but it shows there is some promise.

However, there is one current problem with the growing movement of sustainable consumerism. It has been charged with being elitist — and it definitely is. 

Some individuals and communities have the luxury of making large scale changes to their consuming habits because they can afford to, Ross said. But many others don’t have the privilege.

So, asking single parents in the lower-income bracket to buy their children expensive, sustainably made clothing wouldn’t be a realistic demand. While sustainable fashion may become a more affordable option with existing fast-fashion brands like H&M and Zara moving towards sustainability, it currently isn’t. And both brands are having trouble achieving their sustainability goals.

In addition, as Ross suggested, in certain communities around the world, choosing to stop eating meat may be best for environmental wellness but not immediately for social wellness. She says that, economically, some communities rely on meat production. It could be their primary source of income.

So, for those who can afford to take large steps to transition to sustainable fashion and limit their diet, it’s a very important move, Ross said.

But for those who are not in a position to do so, “baby steps are best” in her opinion. People can make sure their food is sourced locally, take hand-me-down clothing, and trade clothing with family and friends or thrift.

“Anyone can improve at any capacity, big or small scale, as long as there’s something,” Ross said.

Altogether, individual actions and sustainable consumerism do matter. They won’t solve climate change on their own. But rather, they’re a piece of the puzzle, along with voting and political action. 

“There is a role for every person as an individual standing up and saying, ‘This is the one thing I’m going to change today, these are the five things I’m going to change this month, and this is the lifestyle that I want to have by the end of this year.’ ” Anupriya said at the U.N. Youth Climate Summit.