Progress fighting climate change requires action by large numbers of people. That’s why funding advocacy for regulatory changes is popular. Let’s be honest though, even $10 million isn’t likely to be noticed among the vast sums being spent by many others. There’s an alternative that can make a difference more rapidly and far more cheaply than investing in advocacy.

Conservation is one of the lowest-cost, highest-impact potential approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity is responsible for 40 per cent of GHG emissions in the US and 30 per cent of GHG emissions in Europe. Those figures, and the amount of electricity used by consumers, are rising in both regions. Cutting power consumption would not only reduce current emissions but also reduce the use of highly carbon-inefficient ‘peak load’ power plants and the need to construct new coal power plants.