Date 11/5/16

Future President of the United States of America

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Future President,

I am very concerned about deforestation and how it is affecting global warming. Deforestation is causing problems everywhere because the people that are cutting or burning the trees in order to  create farmable land don't really think about how it is affecting the world around us.  Deforestation has gotten so bad that 18 million acres of forest, this is roughly the size of a country that is 28,640 square miles, are being cut down every year.   As the next President of the United States, I feel you should work with congress to pass laws that help preserve the Earth's boreal and rain forests. 

Forests play a huge role in the carbon cycle on our planet. When forests are cut down, not only does carbon adsorption stop, but also the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide if the wood is burned or even if it is left to rot after the deforestation process.  And, while residential  and large scale agricultural crops draw in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, they do not make up for the loss of trees.  Forests store up to 100 times more carbon than agricultural fields of the same area.  

Climate change is also something that deforestation influences greatly because of the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere; if we carry on cutting down the main source for ridding the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (trees), we can expect the climate of our planet to change dramatically over the next few years.  It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere due to deforestation, mainly because of the cutting and burning of forests. 

Soil erosion and degradation also results from deforestation.  Without tree roots to maintain the soil, the stability the roots provide to the soil is lost and the soil begins to loosen and blow away.   Without the trees to protect the soil from the sun's damaging rays, the soil quickly begins to dry out, causing vegetation to wither under the heat of the sun. 

Without trees to protect the land, many former forest lands can quickly become more desert like. Trees are needed to help the water cycle by absorbing the rainfall and returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Trees also lessen the pollution in water by stopping polluted runoff.  In the Amazon,more than half the water in the ecosystem is held within the plants.  Removing trees deprives the forest of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during the day and holds in heat at night.  This can have effect on the temperature change and the animals that live in the habitats around those areas.

Many people say that the arboreal and rainforests are being destroyed by natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and fires, so we’re better off making use of their products than seeing them wasted.  However, what is causing the increase in these natural disasters?  Climate change.  Climate change resulting from increased carbon in our atmosphere.  Carbon that could be reduced if deforestation was not occurring.  Future President, will you fight to stop the special interest groups who only concern themselves with profit from completely destroying the only place known to humankind that is habitable?  Will you fight to promote renewable energy research and promote sustainable growth in the corporate sector?  Future President, will you work to retrain those who are currently in the fossil fuel industry so that they too can see the benefits of a green economy?  Future President, will you fight to protect the last remaining forests on our planet?

As the next President of the United State, I would like you to work with congress and the nations of the world to pass laws that say that you are no longer aloud to indiscriminately cut down trees without regard to environmental impact.  Will you be the President who finally leads the world into a greener and environmentally friendly path?

Sincerely,

Goldner M.