Typically, people generally want more stuff. It showcases wealth or power, and can very easily bring happiness. Whether that's a new pair of shoes or a family vacation across the world, all of these things greatly impact everyone's each individual carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is an individual's impact on the number of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. According to The Nature Conservatory's "What is a Carbon Footprint" The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under 2 tons by 2050, so this is a very relevant thing in our lives today. How can we prevent these rising global temperatures? Taking surveys such as this one helps us understand our personal footprint and how we can reduce these significantly high numbers. For me personally, travel is my biggest contributor to my overall carbon footprint. I take public transportation frequently and my family owns an all-electric car, but I travel on planes a lot which drastically increases my footprint. I think traveling to see friends or family is important, but I will do my best in the future to reduce the amounts of unnecessary layovers and long plane rides I have to take. Another big thing I can do is to bring my own bags/straws/containers when I'm out shopping or getting food. Taking all of this unnecessary plastic and other waste contributes greatly to the amount of carbon being released and it's really a very simple change to my current lifestyle. Saving our planet is something that must be placed at an utmost priority in all of our minds, as it without a doubt affects us all!