You could purchase carbon offsets. Or, you could support politicians who believe in climate change. Or, you could just donate to your favorite green nonprofit. But what makes the most sense?

Though giving is highly personal and there’s no single right answer, Rachel Cleetus, an economist and policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said she would first funnel her money toward politicians — both local and national — who would most likely be proactive when it comes to the climate. That’s because, although we have the technology to transition away from fossil fuels, Dr. Cleetus said, “the biggest stumbling block to bold action has been a lack of political will.”

Rob Jackson, a professor of earth system science at Stanford University and chairman of the Global Carbon Project, agreed. While he said he supported carbon offsets, calling their purchase “the most concrete thing you can do with your money,” Dr. Jackson said they aren’t “changing the system as quickly as we need the system to change.”

There is, of course, an element of risk involved in political donations. Your dollars could ripple outward, helping to incite a revolution, or they could vanish into the ether, paying for a Facebook ad no one clicks on. And, even a dynamic candidate could prove ineffectual once in office.

That’s basically the opposite of a high-quality offset: In that case, you know what you’re getting but the effect is unlikely to multiply.