Global warming: Individual behavior vs government involvement

What can individual people and their families do to try to reduce global warming? The most common things that are cited include reducing meat consumption, putting up solar panels, recycling, and using mass transit, bicycles and/or electric or hybrid vehicles. So far, me and my family are engaged in that. Consumption of beef is a lot lower, chicken higher and for our vegetarian, meat consumption is zero. There's recycling bins we use regularly, solar panels on the roof, and an EV and a hybrid in the garage. The solar, EV and hybrid are all social virtue signals aligned with wanting to reduce global warming and taking it seriously. That is knowing and intentional.

But to me, far more important than what I can do is serious government action. Citizen virtue signaling is offset by America's vast, powerful and wealthy profit from pollution commercial sector. In view of our corrupted pay-to-play federal government coupled with climate science denial ideology, government doesn't get serious things done. How true is that?

Q: My understanding is that what individuals do to reduce global warming is generally irrelevant, but what governments do can be relevant. Is that understanding mostly correct or not?

A: Your understanding that individual actions to reduce global warming are generally irrelevant while government actions are more significant is partially correct but requires some nuance:

Individuals
If a large number of individuals reduce their carbon footprint through lifestyle changes like reducing meat consumption, using public transport, or adopting renewable energy, this can lead to a noticeable reduction in emissions.

Individual actions can create a ripple effect, influencing others and leading to broader societal changes. This can build momentum for systemic change, as people's choices can influence market demand and encourage businesses to adopt more sustainable practices.

Governments

Governments have the power to implement policies that can significantly reduce emissions. This includes setting emissions targets, regulating polluters, investing in renewable energy, and promoting sustainable practices.

Governments can drive systemic changes through legislation, incentives, and infrastructure development. Policies like carbon pricing, emissions trading, and subsidies for green technologies can shift entire industries towards sustainability.

Governments can hold major emitters accountable, which is crucial since a significant portion of emissions comes from a small number of large corporations.

Conclusion
While individual actions are not irrelevant, their impact is indeed limited compared to the potential of government policies and systemic changes.