Dear Future President,

I am a 7th grader in the city of Chicago, Illinois. It is said by Al Gore, "The warnings about global warming have been extremely clear for a long time. We are facing a global climate crisis" and I agree. As a young person and student in my community, I have taken a particular interest in environmental science and how humans affect Earth. I often worry if the generations after mine will even be able live on this planet anymore. Barack Obama stated, " We are the first generation to feel the affects of climate change and the last generation to do something about it." Earth is our home and we can't afford to lose it. We have made many mistakes as a species by mistreating our planet. This is the time to fix something much bigger than ourselves.

Earth is a special planet with many beautiful climates and inhabitants that are being pushed out of their homes. About 41,415 species are on the IUCN red list and 16,305 of them are threatened with extinction. Scientists estimate that every 24 hours, 150-200 species of wildlife go extinct. Biologists say that this is nearly 1,000 times more than the natural rate. According to the WWF, if there are an estimated 100,000,000 species of plants and animals on Earth, and the extinction rate is approximately .01 % every year, so at least 10,000 species go extinct each year. The statistics are proof that climate change is affecting the animals and plants of our world.

A large reason that we are losing so much wildlife is temperature change. This is happening because factories and corporations are burning fossil fuels that are releasing CO2 into the air. CO2 levels have been getting increasingly higher over the past 100 years. This is making the ozone layer that protects Earth from the sun less protective. The sun's harmful ultraviolet rays are warming up the Earth's temperature. The heat is melting the polar ice caps and wildlife there is affected.

Robert Baden-Powell once said, "Leave this world a little better than you found it." Yet, not many people in this generation pay much attention to this saying. The world is not only about social media or snapchat. If we don't pay enough attention, our environmental freedoms will be taken away. "We have a single mission: to protect and hand on the planet to the next generation. (The president of France)"

I call on you, future president, to create more laws that protect our precious planet from climate change. We are the only voices for our Earth, and you have tremendous power to make a change. The situation can not be ignored any longer. Think about your children and their children. You would want them to have a better world to live in. It is time to correct our ancestors mistakes, America has trusted you to run our country, and I know that you cannot force other countries to help, but America can do something. Please make the right decision and take the steps to make a better Earth.

Sincerely,

Gabriella G.