Dear Future President,

Our planet Earth is constantly changing, in ways that were caused by mankind, or done naturally. One of the biggest changes happening right now is global warming- a problem that we created. The rise in temperature is causing a huge shift on our planet, and if we don’t fix our current ways of living, we could be permanently changing the only place we can call home. To fix this, the government needs to devote more money to fixing this problem that could have a lasting impact.

Global warming is something that humans have created, by our own inventions. It is caused by the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases do occur naturally, but humans have created so much more of these gases that the atmosphere can no longer sustain them. The two biggest contributors to global warming are: burning fossil fuels and clearing away forests.

So you may be asking yourself, what does this effect on our planet? Sure, the temperatures are rising, but what does that change? A lot changes actually, and it can affect almost any living thing on Earth. With the temperatures going up, the Arctic can no longer sustain the temperature it need to keep the glaciers frozen. Over the years the temperature is getting warmer and warmer, to a height thought to be insane many years ago. A study from the Union of Concerned Scientists states, “Every one of the past 38 years has been warmer than the 20th century average. The 12 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998. The hottest year ever recorded for the contiguous United States occurred in 2012.” When these glaciers melt, thousands of animals (penguins, polar bears, seals, etc) will lose their homes, and will become extinct. Quoted from an article from The Nature Conservatory, “As landscapes and habitats literally shift, wildlife must quickly adjust. Experts predict that one-fourth of Earth’s species will be headed for extinction by 2050 if the warming trend continues at its current rate.” That’s a lot of animals, and with that many of them extinct, the food web will be completely reinvented. Since the glaciers are melting, this leads us into an even larger problem: rising ocean levels. The Nature Conservatory also concluded that with rising ocean levels, this can, and will destroy thousands of houses, coasts, towns, and ecosystems.

There have been other claims that global warming isn’t a harm to us- in our lifetime we won’t see it’s effects. But if we let our ways of life go on and on, it will have a very negative effect on our world, and on the lives of our future ancestors. There are things that we can do to to improve the amount of carbon dioxide that we release into the atmosphere, and make our productions more energy efficient. There are things to produce more sustainable ways of live, but corporations are not following these rules. The government needs to devote some time and money to make these corporations aware of what they are doing, and how they can change their ways to help keep our earth unpolluted. If the government is able to spend some money to find different ways to help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released, we will be able to to live in a world that is on it’s way to fixing global warming.

I personally love being outside. I enjoy hiking, rock climbing, going camping, and backpacking. I think being outside in nature clears my mind, and I feel very relaxed. To know that some day in the future, whether I live to see this day or not, that our earth has changed for the worse because of humans would be really disappointing. We could be completely destroying our earth, the only place that we can truly call home. I urge the US government to do their part in protecting our planet, to find a way to make production in our country energy efficient and more sustainable.

Sincerely,

Emma Forouhari

10th grade

Mendota Heights, MN