Dear Next President:

Climate change has been talked about for years. People have doubted and denied that one day we would have to do something about it. That day that doubters have not wanted to come is here. We need to do something, and the proper way to deal with climate change is mitigation. We need to act on this issue, or the resource that we depend on most, will slowly fade.

Mitigation is the more obvious choice on how to defend against climate change, but it is the most effective. While some people are doing things, such as turning off lights when they are not using them, some car companies are figuring out how to make electric cars. Therefore, people are making new innovations and technological developments that help soften the effects of climate change. Electric cars do not burn the fossil fuels that gas powered cars do. According to “Air Quality in the United States is improving” by United States Environmental Protection Agency ¨ Cleaner cars, industries, and consumer products, have contributed to cleaner air for much of the U.S.¨ Using mitigation will be better for us in the future. United States Environmental Protection Agency also says ¨ Total emissions of toxic air pollutants have decreased by 40 percent between 1990 and 2005. ¨ With advancements that help stop climate change, there comes new ideas and methods that piggy back off those ideas creating new and improved innovations. With these new and improved innovations, just think… We decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990-2005. With new technology and ideas, we can reduce greenhouse gasses by even more. We need these innovations, if we want to stop climate change, if we sit and wait it might be too late to realize what we did wrong.

So climate change affects us, but what else does it affect? Well, it affects the environment in major ways. In the article, ¨Climate Change Is Accelerating Biodiversity Loss¨ by Shah Anup, it says, “… rapid climate change affects ecosystems and species ability to adapt and so biodiversity loss increases.” With mitigation, not only are we softening the effects of climate change for humans, but also the environment. When we drive electric cars that do not burn any fossil fuels, we reduce the amount of carbon in the air for humans and the environment. Also, according to Shah Anup, “Atmospheric CO2 is dissolved in the ocean, which becomes more acidic…” Animals can’t stop climate change, but we have the power to. When we do what we can to help stop climate change, we help the environment, which is our most important resource. It provides us with food, water, and materials that help us make new things to make our life easier. If we help the environment right now, it will stay beautiful and keep helping take care of us.

Some people think that we should use adaptation to get rid of climate change. According to the article ¨Climate Change Adaptation Is More Important Than Mitigation¨ by Marco Visscher , it says, “Adaptation will not slow the warming of the Earth’s surface, but it will give communities the resilience to absorb its damaging effects.” Sure, you can adapt to climate change now and protect ourselves in this day, but is it beneficial in the future? We need to nip climate change in the bud. When we adapt, we don’t think about the environment. We need to think about the affects climate change will have on the environment. In the article ¨Climate Change Mitigation Is More Important Than Adaptation by Joe Romm, it says “At 1000 ppm (CO2), the world will face multiple catastrophes, including: .... More than 70 percent of all species going extinct, plus extreme ocean acidification.” If we help lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, we can avoid catastrophes like that. Adaptation may keep us safe but mitigation keeps us and the environment safe, for a better future.

The environment is a resource that we depend on for a lot of things, and can’t live without. When we use mitigation to soften the effects of climate change, we help preserve the environment. When we try to adapt to climate change, we only make things worse for ourselves. If we decide to adapt to climate change, what happens when later in the future we rely on something from the environment, and use it all the time, and it is not there because the environment is destroyed from the increasing effects from climate change? What do we do then? According to ¨Climate Change Is Accelerating Biodiversity Loss¨ by Shah Anup it says, “In addition to warming temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events and changing patterns of rainfall and drought can be expected….” Without our help the environment will not be able to survive on its own. The rapid change in climate does not give organisms enough time to adapt to their surroundings. Shah Anup says, “Ecosystems are already showing negative impacts under current levels of climate change. which is modest compared to future projected changes…” If the environment is already struggling, then just think about how bad it will be if we don’t do something. Not only will it be bad for the environment, but also for us. There will be more disastrous storms, that will take out more buildings, houses, coast’s, and more. It will take more materials to repair everything until eventually our resources dwindle. ¨Climate change Mitigation Is More Important Than Adaptation¨ by Joe Romm says, “If the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not aggressively maintained, the world will face disastrous consequences.” He also says, “The real question for the world is whether or not we can stabilize below 450 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide if we try hard enough and fast enough- of course we can, and at a very low cost according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change...” Mitigation is very affordable and has good outcomes. If we attack this issue right away, we can preserve the environment and keep using it as our key resource. If we save the environment and anything like this happens again, it is still there to help us get through it. When we try to adapt, it is leaving the environment high and dry, if we do adapt there will be a period where we are safe, but it won’t last. The environment will die and then leave us with nothing. We will not be able to change with the changing world. Mitigation is a better option to keep us, and the environment safe, it will be better for the long term and this choice will not come back to haunt us.

Mitigation is a better solution to climate change because it has more benefits to us now, and in the future. Mitigating climate change will provide us with brand new ideas that we may have never thought of before, it will keep the environment safe and flourishing, it will preserve the environment and allow us to keep using it as a resource for evolution in the United States, and the world. That is why I think that we need to find ways to mitigate climate change. We need to act fast and attack this issue. That is where you come in. I understand that this may be a very busy time for you and there may be other things going on in your life right now, but I wanted to bring up this issue because it is very important to me. I am sure other people care about this issue as much as I do and are offering suggestions to solve it, but please take this into consideration. This will result in a better America and a better future for Americans all over the country. Thank you for giving me your time, so I could explain my reasoning on Climate Change with you.

With respect, I send my best regards,

Jack O.