Dear Next President,

We need to realize what is happening to the Earth. It is dying. Animal species are becoming extinct. The rainforests are slowly being destroyed. The air quality is getting worse. The hurricanes are becoming stronger and more common. All over the world, flash floods are becoming more frequent. People are getting sick and dying of lung diseases from their polluted air. All of these events affect us. The destruction of our environment and earth affect us because we all breathe the same air, drink the same water, and live on the same land. We need to do something about it.

So, how do we start, you ask? We start by conserving energy. We start with you, Mr./Mrs. President. Set an example for the rest of the country. Start by shutting off lights when not in use. Try not traveling by plane when you don’t have to. Avoid littering. Try your best to recycle. Try conserving water. Doing these and many more things every day is very easy and can really make a difference.

We have to save the earth. We can not expect to live happy lives if we don’t. You may think that these little things that we do can’t hurt the earth, since they are so small and meaningless. That is wrong. All of these “tiny” acts add up and make a big difference that affects the earth in a huge way. For example, you see a soda can on the ground, but don’t pick it up. Later that day, a small bird smells the sweet aroma of the soda from the can and tries to eat it. The sharp can scratches the bird's throat and it dies. Now since metal doesn’t decompose like flesh does, a scavenger that tries to eat the bird will also cut themselves and die as well. Every animal further down that food chain will die. Now imagine this happening many times every day, all around the world. If we don’t stop polluting and start realizing what is happening to the earth, many terrible things will happen. Life will not be the same.

Many different types of pollution are killing our earth. There is air pollution, for example. Many different things are slowly polluting our earth, such as aerosol sprays, hair sprays, dry cleaners, factory smoke, and many others. These things also diminish and degrade our ozone. Researchers say that the ozone depletion increases about 1% each year. The ozone layer protects us from harmful UVB ultraviolet light. Without it, we are more prone to getting diseases like skin cancer, intoxication, and ocular diseases. The EPA estimates that 60 million Americans born by the year 2075 will get skin cancer because of ozone depletion. About one million of these people will die. Because of the diminished ozone, basic microscopic organisms such as plankton may not be able to survive. That would mean all other animals above plankton in the food chain would also die out.

Another form of pollution is water pollution. The main form of water pollution is sewage. Every year, 14 billion pounds of sewage, sludge, and garbage are dumped into the world’s oceans, along with 19 trillion gallons of waste. Another type of water pollution are disaster incidences such as an oil spill. These incidents are enormous and very difficult or even impossible to control. If water pollution still continues to increase, the consequence with be the death countless numbers of fish and many other animals, food poisoning for humans and animals, as well as skin diseases.

The third type of pollution is of course, littering. It is one of the most current bad habits of today’s society. Every year, millions of animals die from discarded litter. Animals get caught in plastic soda rings, plastic bags, fishing line, and countless other things. Many animals get their heads stuck in plastic soda rings. If they can’t get them off of their body, they will suffocate. Animals looking for food will smell the scent of something inside of a can and could get trapped inside or injured because of the can’s sharp edges. Animals might try to eat a plastic bag and choke or climb inside of it and suffocate.

Now, I am sure that you are not a bad person, Future President, as these points are not directed at you, rather, asking for your help. We need to start saving the planet. Even if we start one little bit at a time, one person at a time. Start recycling. Start cutting the little plastic 6 pack soda rings before throwing them away. Pay attention to how you use water. Start with these little things. People will catch on.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter,

Katharine Peterson

Cairo Durham Middle School

8th Grade