October 28, 2016

Dear Future President,

Hi, my name is Riley and I have a topic that I feel is very important to address: ocean pollution. Our oceans cover 71% of our world, which is why we need to save them. The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic away each year. But where does all that go? The answer: our oceans. According to ecowatch.com, enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times. Plastic can take 500 to 1,000 years to degrade, so we must move quickly.

Another issue that has come to my attention is the animals that live in the ocean. The ocean is clearly not a safe place to live, and it’s all our fault, and we are their only hope. Discarded fishing nets kill approximately 300,000 dolphins and porpoises every year. The dolphins and porpoises get trapped into the nets and die. This is not okay. The animals have just as much as a will to live as we do.

Oil contributes to ocean pollution as well. Out of all the things that can deteriorate the ocean, oil can do that the fastest. It is much more harmful than trash and/or waste. However, around 12% of oil dumped into the ocean is from oil spills. Most of the oil that is harmful is a result of drainage from the land. Oil spills suffocate marine life to death, and leads to behavioral changes and breakdown in thermal insulation to those that do survive. It changes the entire ecosystem of an affected oil spill area, such as a long coastline or deep ocean.

In conclusion, I believe this is a very important topic and issue that has to be addressed in a timely fashion.

Sincerely,

Riley P