Why reducing carbon dioxide emissions is for you (even if you do not believe in global warming)

This is for everyone who is looking to make a change in the worldwide epidemic of wasteful living, of which one if it's effects is a warming of the Earth. In the last post, lowering carbon emissions was discussed, and the conclusion was reached that lowering carbon emissions will help stop the warming trend that has occurred recently. To further that point, I believe everyone should try to lower their carbon emissions, even if they do not believe in global warming, because of the benefits that arise for the Earth and them through the process.

The reduction of one's carbon emissions can save that person more than one thousand dollars per year. He or she can do that by a variety of ways, all of which do not take away from the fun of life. For example reducing the heater's temperature by two degrees or raising the air conditioner's temperature by two degrees can save a person about $100 annually. In addition to that, replacing one's air condition filter can save him or her $150 a year. Water usage accounts for much of a person's bills and reducing water usage by taking shorter showers, using a low-flow showerhead and only using the dishwasher for full loads can save him or her around $300 on their water bill. The energy used to heat water is also high. You can cut down on that energy usage by insulating your hot water heater and reducing the temperature of it. This can save a person $50 - $70 a year. All of these methods mentioned save a good amount of money but it is nothing compared to how much a person can save if they change their transportation habits. For example, if one regularly checks and inflates his or her tires, it can save him or her $840 a year. Also, checking and replacing one's air filter in his or her car can save him or her 140 dollars a year (http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/carboncalculator.asp#0). The switch from driving to public transport will reduce a person's cost and carbon emissions immensely because of the high cost and carbon output of gas. Another way to save some money and the Earth is not forgetting to turn off appliances when they are not in use. All of these methods listed can reduce a person's carbon output by about 7500 pounds or 3.5 metric tons. These methods can lower carbon emissions greatly if they are carried out worldwide, helping to slow down the warming trend, while new ways of using energy that are environmentally friendly are thought of (http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/119/calculator).

The increase of carbon dioxide in the air can potentially harm the Earth but it can also harm the health of many people. An example of this is a government study done to show the dangers of increasing carbon emissions in China and to show the health benefits of reducing the emissions. The effects of air pollution due to carbon emissions had a disastrous toll in 1995 China with 178,00 premature deaths and 4.5 million deaths because of pollution related sicknesses. The damages that occurred from health sickness and death to pollution was the same as 5% of China's gross domestic product. The projected values for the health effects due to carbon emissions in 2020 is even worse than the 1995 values. There are a projected nine million people dying from pollution related sickness with over twenty-five million people getting sick. All this shows is that there is another reason to decrease one's carbon emissions as it also decreases the amount of harmful substances that person emits. The report also states that a ten percent reduction in carbon emissions might initially slow down the economy but over the long term the economy would generate more income. The lowering in carbon emissions would also make it less likely to perpetuate the cycle of carbon emissions by using more coal. The lowering of coal usage would make the price of coal higher resulting in a lower chance of coal being used in the future (http://www.pnl.gov/aisu/pubs/AppC15-RG.pdf).

So if you are looking to save some money and trying to improve your health, think about lowering your carbon emissions. It is of minimal cost and it has benefits that are immeasurable if carried out on a global scale. In reference to the last post, the need to reduce carbon emissions drastically can only be done if carried put on a global scale and this can be a start to that process.