There are many ways that people can make changes and help stop the excess release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In fact, we can make a difference by changing just a few things in our lifestyle, and while this may not be the easiest thing in the world to do, if we don't, our oceans will become highly acidic, the climate will become sweltering and many ecosystems will fall prey to the toxic amount of carbon dioxide. Now we come to the question, "How can we prevent this?" and while the answer may not be simple, we can still take on this task and attempt to save this earth. The way we can do this is by not being so wasteful, this includes using a more energy efficient kind of transportation, being weary of our food waste and also stop abusing our air conditioning. We can make a difference in the release of carbon dioxide by wasting less of everything and therefore reducing our carbon footprint, and the population's carbon footprint, significantly.

To substantially reduce our production of carbon dioxide and protect our earth, people need to cease producing all this  waste. This does not only mean recycling, it also means that the population of this earth needs to use energy efficient forms of transportation, become more educated about wasting food and how to prevent it, as well as reduce unnecessary air conditioning. To use less energy to get from place to place, a person could do this by using public transport. Obviously this does not appeal to everyone, nor is it convenient for all, so there are other ways to conserve energy. For one, people could use the alternative of biking from place to place or carpooling. Another way to help this earth and reduce waste would be to know more about wasting food. Twenty five percent of food, in the american household, is thrown away. Think about it this way, a quarter of the money a family spends on food, is basically getting thrown away. The more food waste that someone produces, the larger that person's carbon footprint becomes which causes a negative effect on the earth and the environment. Coming to the last way to reduce emissions, take a moment to reflect on how frequently yourself or your family uses their air conditioning unit in their home. Now think about how often you actually need to use it. Many families would prefer to heat their house than put on a jacket or sweater, when in fact, putting on a jacket or sweater is exactly what we need to do. Using this much energy to make one's home seven degrees warmer has an incredibly negative effect on our atmosphere. If people were to choose not to conform but to add an extra layer, we could reduce our carbon footprint significantly. So, next time you go over to a friends house, go grocery shopping, or run over to the thermostat, take a moment to think about what effect this will have on the environment and what a better alternative might be.