Dear Future President, 

Climate change is a very important issue, because not only is it affecting our planet, but it also impacts lots of people from across the globe. This issue is often overlooked by many Americans, but it is not an issue that we can just put to the side. 

One reason that we need to put efforts into preventing climate change, is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide trap heat, and cause the planet to warm through a process called the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gas emissions are not good for our planet, and are one of the top causes to climate change. The United States is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gasses, alongside from China. Greenhouse gasses have been destroying our planet from time to time, and if we don't do anything to stop them from being released, our earth's climate will be at a higher temperature, and will be extremely polluted. Since 1751, approximately 337 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere. 

Another reason that climate change is a big issue for the United States, is that the rising sea level of oceans can flood our planet. Due to climate change, the average sea level is higher now that it used to be. A study from October 2014 predicted that, the global sea level is likely to rise over 32 inches, with a worst case scenario of 6 feet by 2100. Sea levels rising is caused by melting glaciers, which is caused by climate change. If we don't do anything to prevent climate change, global sea levels will keep rising, and therefore flood many areas of the world. Climate central predicts that about 147-216 million people live in areas that will be below sea level, and have regular floods by the end of the century due to climate change. Not only will cities be flooded, but many people will be affected by the global sea level rising. 

A final reason why climate change is a big issue for the United States, is that anthropogenic climate change creates permafrost, which is a subsurface layer of frozen soil. The permafrost is not good, and creates even more climate change, because when it melts, it releases methane gas. Since the climate is changing, more and more permafrost is being created, which has a big negative impact on the globe. However, we can prevent more permafrost from forming if we invest time and money into this issue. The methane gas that permafrost gives off absorbs 84 times more heat that carbon dioxide does, which creates more greenhouse gas emissions, which is another contributor to climate change. 

Overall, we need to start putting further efforts towards our climate. If we don't start taking actions now, our planet will be even more damaged in the future. Climate change is a big issue, that not only affects the planet, but affects all creatures of nature. We need to start thinking more about the future and how climate change really makes an impact on all of us.

Evan Schneider