I am a student of Miami, FL, and I am concerned with America’s reliance on coal energy.

Our health is being severely impacted due to the rising amounts of pollution within the atmosphere. Although there are a broad range of environmental issues on the brink like climate change and coral reef destruction, I’d like to address America’s heavy reliance on coal produced electricity. Coal is a compound that releases poisonous elements like sulfur and mercury when burned. These elements are then traced in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. If one consumes enough mercury they can suffer from a neurological syndrome that impairs bodily functions by making the muscles weak to the point of numbness. Not to mention the health effects coal miners face when mining, like lung cancer and Silicosis.

Our reliance on coal as an energy source may provide jobs for miners, but at what cost? Renewable energy like solar power and windmills are a cleaner, healthier solution to our energy crisis. Some are concerned about the abandonment of the families of coal miners. I am not asking for the switch to happen overnight, but under your presidency we can initiate and catalyze it. It will be a smooth, but long transition. Instead of getting jobs at coal mines, the new generation can get a factory job manufacturing solar panel materials. Little by little, the shift will occur until the reliance on coal is minimal. By relying on renewable energy, our country does not have to output harmful chemicals into our system nor rely on foreign sources of energy.

I suggest that we start off this transition by easing the taxes placed on renewable energy sources. By encouraging the formation of wind and solar farms as well as home energy, citizens will start to favor using this clean energy. I do not see this transition completely having full effect within your first term which is why I expect it to pick up during your second term.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Sincerely,

Kaitlyn Jauregui