In America specifically there is an indistinct line between want and need, people think they need the newest device or clothing. Many people do not know that they are actually increasing their own carbon footprint. The sam goes for cars since America is so urbanized there are so many cars throughout the country so there are many sources of fossil fuels being burned increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

I agree with you. People get so excited about the idea of something new that they may not think of the consequences. Cars are a big part of peoples carbon footprint but people may not think of using other means of transportation to lower their carbon footprint, such as carpooling or biking.

I agree with you; the fact that Americans buy so many new items is very important because it worsens the environment on a long-term scale. Americans believe that since they are in a first world country, it means that they can do anything they want, without thinking about the long-term costs to the environment; that's the thing that's wrong about our society, people only focus on the short-term problems that are only affecting their own lives, when it's actually the whole world that's being affected. Americans don't realize that they could greatly decrease the amount of items being thrown away by just reusing them. By throwing them in the trash, they are just wasting them due to the fact that they are just put underground in the end, and that will affect the environment due to more production needed for those items because of them being sold. If they don't need them, they could give it to someone else who needs them. Many people in third-world countries don't even have these basic necessities, and they don't even think about the word "want". They actually need the items.

This is a very valid point, especially because the ratio of consumerism compared to population size is very high in the United States. I believe that the society in the United States drives citizens to believe that "out with old, in with the new" is perfectly acceptable because it can help fuel the economy. Speaking from personal experience as an American teenager, I know the pressure to fit in with my peers and buy the newest iPhone, clothing brand, or other devices (like fidget spinners). I believe if we encourage the use of re purposed or recycled materials, than we can make a positive impact on our society and planet!

This is true. People should spend their money on things that they need and not want. The average American family spends over $1,700 on clothes per year. Reusing clothing is a great way to lower your carbon footprint for purchases. Shopping at thrift stores benefits this. I also agree that cars contribute a lot to greenhouse gases. How you can decrease your carbon footprint in transportation, is by carpooling, taking public transportation, biking and walking.

This is a valid point, many people think that they "need" the newest things. This way of thinking can quickly increase your CO2 emissions without you realising it.  Making unnecessary purchases to frequently releases very much CO2 into the atmosphere because there is a lot that has to go into making all the products. Depending on what it is and where it was made can boost CO2 levels very high, without you knowing many brand new items have to be transported across the world, the resources could have been mined, delivered in a truck, flown in a plan, and many other CO2 emitting processes. A very good way to reduce purchase costs is to reuse items, shop at thrift stores, wait until you really need new electronics and other products to replace them.

Yea, that is a really great point, a lot of the increasing on carbon is mostly because we are not aware of how much we are using, but we really need to do something about that.