Dear Future President,

Climate change is among us and its impacts will be detrimental to our planet if we don’t address it soon. The world is concerned about so many other issues like gun control, abortion, and immigration. We need to begin viewing climate change as a serious problem because it will determine the fate of our planet and the quality of life for our children.

Humans have affected the natural cycles of our planet and in turn, warmed the climate. Modern society needs automobiles and large industries. Billions of cars are emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere on the daily. According to EIA, automobiles released 1,545 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2015. There are ways to reduce these numbers, but if we continue to live the way we do, there is no turning back. Our planet’s temperature will continue to rise and change how our systems interact in our environment.

Warming temperatures leads to less precipitation and drought. Obviously, trees need water in order to survive and they struggle in drought conditions. During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release it during cellular respiration and when they decompose. If a tree cannot attain a sufficient amount of water, it will eventually die. Forests will disappear and release large amounts of carbon dioxide making the earth’s temperature even warmer. This is called a positive feedback loop because it is getting exponentially worse. For example, California is experiencing a drought and according to numerous sources such as US news, 66 million trees have died.

Many people believe climate change does not exist. They argue that there is not enough historical data and one year of abnormally high temperatures cannot prove that climate change exists. As stated by NASA GISS, the 20 hottest years on record have occurred in the last 25 years. Also, every year since 1992 has been warmer than 1992. There are many more facts and statistics that our climate is warming. People need to look at the bigger picture and realize that climate change is a real thing.

The Future President of the United States needs to address these issues and find solutions. America and the rest of the world has to accept the fact that our Earth is in trouble. This is an important issue that needs some attention and a solution. We cannot change what we have done, but we can slow down the effects.

Sincerely, Isabella S.