![]() ![]() that’s itself 25 percent larger, even though you have fewer kids. You barely notice, but in the years since 1988, when James Hansen testified that our burning of fossil fuels was destroying the conditions for life, your home has grown by about 1,000 square feet and you’ve bought another car, an S.U.V. So when you come into more money, no matter your political leanings or education, you buy a bigger house, another car, more stuff. You believe that the power and goods you consume are changing the climate but do not believe in your ability to stop it. Maybe twice a month you stop at Target and pick up six or seven things: double-sided tape, an extra toothbrush, an inflatable mattress. You take six or seven plane flights a year, to visit your mom after her surgery or attend a conference, and drive about 25,000 miles, most of which you barely register anymore, as you listen to Joe Rogan or Bad Bunny. Together with your partner you make about $70,000 a year, some of which goes toward the 11,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 37,000 cubic feet of natural gas you use to heat the house, play video games and dry your clothes. You’re in your mid-30s and just welcomed your first child. ![]() Your house is about 2,200 square feet - a split-level ranch, perhaps. ![]() You picked it because it’s affordable and not a terrible commute to your job. Since more than half of us live outside big cities, it’s probably in a middle-class suburb, like Fox Lake, north of Chicago. Maybe it’s your aunt’s, or your neighbor’s, or a bit like your own. It doesn’t exist, not in any sense except in a data set, but it’s easy enough to imagine. Let’s say you live in the typical American household. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. ![]()
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