Top four ways to shrink your carbon footprint are often overlooked

MIAMI - Researchers in Sweden have identified the top four things people can do to reduce their carbon footprint, but warned on July 11 these steps are rarely promoted in the public sphere.

The report in the journal Environmental Research Letters described a "missed opportunity" to let people know the most effective steps they can take to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a primary driver of global warming.

"We found there are four actions that could result in substantial decreases in an individual's carbon footprint - eating a plant-based diet, avoiding air travel, living car-free, and having smaller families," says lead author Seth Wynes of Lund University in Sweden.