Dear Madame/Mr. President:

My name is Cannon, and I have been a citizen of Colorado my whole life. I’ve enjoyed living here thoroughly, but it is in the winter I find the most joy. Sadly, winter hasn’t been as fun, because there has been less snow and I fear there will continue to be less snow, due to climate change. Colorado is not the only state going through this problem, it’s not just America either, but the whole globe is experiencing global warming. This problem is in my mind the number one problem we will face. Not just because there won’t be enough snow, but because of the hundreds of thousands of damages it will cause to our planet.

Less cold weather and less cold all over the world is because of the drastic rise in all man-made pollutants. These pollutants, which we all contribute to, include: CO2, which comes from a wide range of fossil fuel burners, Methane, which is more potent but less abundant than CO2, and lead, which is the most dangerous of the three. The claim that these pollutants are the cause of global warming isn’t just a claim, as stated by Melissa Petruzzello and John P. Rafferty, “Fossil-fuel combustion is responsible for steady increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prominent. Sources of atmospheric CO2 include volcanoes, the combustion and decay of organic matter, respiration by aerobic (oxygen-using) organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels, clearing of land, and production of cement by humans. Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas”. Some people may not want to believe it, but it’s the truth, our use of fossil fuels puts us at blame for climate change. We made this problem, and the time has finally come to fix it, so that our kids will be able to play in the cold before it goes away.

If the only side effect of climate change was less snow, it would make more sense as to why so many people don’t care. But, climate change is something we should care about because there is much more to it than shorter winters. There are many effects that come directly from climate change, and from the loss of cold. As stated by Liz Olsen in an article about the future effects of global warming, “Climate change has already caused the melting of glaciers, coral reef damage, and drought, according to the IPCC. Near-term repercussions include a rise in sea level, a shrinking of ice and snow cover, crop loss, destruction caused by coastal storms, and increased poverty”. This shows clearly why climate change isn’t just warmer weather, but a disastrous problem we should start taking more seriously. We must work to stop climate change or at least slow it down. We must care about how it affects our planet and its inhabitants. We must not ignore this issue and give it due attention.

We cannot let this issue persist any longer, and I propose that there be laws and regulations put on greenhouse gas emissions, so that large companies, industries, or even individuals can’t continue to harm the environment. With laws in place those who pollute the most will not be able to carelessly kill away the future. This solution would also push us to use cleaner, more environmentally friendly energy sources. Climate change is a silent killer, and the biggest threat to us today, which is why we must truly stand against it, as individuals, as a nation, as a world, we must change, so we can move forward.

Sincerely,

Cannon