Dear Future President,

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to change, it’s not.”

-Dr. Seuss.

We should all learn something from this quote. Although it is just from a children's book this quote can easily guide us into what change we need to create to sustain our future. And inspire us to all come together to make things happen.

I am only fourteen and just started high school this fall, but I want a future. I want to be able to travel the world to see all its natural beauty. I want to attend college and study the things I am most passionate about. I want to meet the love of my life and have a future together. But I also am aware that I, along with many other dream chasing kids, won’t get these opportunities unless we put a stop to the harm we are causing the environment.

I remember last summer my family was staying at a cottage on the glorious Lake Michigan. My dad and I were taking a leisurely walk down the beach. The sky an overcast grey, and the water lapped quietly onto the shore. The air had the sweet scent of blooming flowers and birds chortled overhead. Looking around, inhaling and exhaling I realized how incredible the environment was, as well as how vast and powerful our surroundings are. As I dug my toes into the fine heated sand I understood how important it was to conserve and fight for our planet. Because I wanted all the generations to come to be able to enjoy this body of water and the environment as a whole as much as I got to that day.

We are in the middle of a pivotal stage of our planet's life. A time when we can either choose to save it or we can continue our harmful actions and let such a beautiful resource die off. Many people in this country like to deny the fact that such a problem exists and shrug off the urgency and importance of global warming and environmental issues as a whole. But the truth of the matter is that we can no longer continue fueling a denying and ignorant relationship with our environment.The Earth fuels our lives and is what we depend on for practically everything. People need to understand the damage that humans cause and the realness of what is happening to the world.

Since the year 1880 the overall global temperature has risen 1.8 degrees fahrenheit. Scientists have predicted that by the the end of the century sea levels will have risen 7-23 inches. The ice sheets in Antarctica lost a total of 36-60 cubic miles over the span of just four years. Also in this century alone the sea levels have risen 17 inches. These depressing but true facts are endless and the statistics are increasing every day. Many people don’t know that these numbers are rising just as fast as taxes and gas prices. And if these numbers continue to increase as rapidly as they are today, we won’t have much earth left. Another thing that people are oblivious to is the fact that we are the cause of these issues.

We, as a population, need to be aware of our impact. We need to be aware how everyday things we do, put together have drastically affected the environment. Annually human activity releases approximately 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Our societies have been built on unsustainable customs. The worst part is no one knows how harmful these customs are. This is why we need your help, a big figure in our country needs to speak up and help set up systems to educate and fuel change.

Our environment is deteriorating before our eyes, but it’s not too late to come together to stitch the gashes we have cut so deep. We all need to care a whole awful lot so together we can make a change. We need to appreciate what beautiful, plentiful, and fascinating place the earth is. We need to educate one another on what is happening and what we can all do. Lastly we need to advocate for the earth because together we can slowly heal this incredible planet.

Sincerely,

Mary Holohan