Dear Future President,

As a middle school student, and a member of the next generation of voters, I am writing to you about a major issue that is important to me. Ocean Pollution is a major environmental issue that needs to be addressed in the next four years on a global scale.

A study by David E. Newton shows that a medium sized cruise ship produces, on a single voyage, about 800,000 liters of sewage, nearly 4000,000,000 liters of grey water (waste from baths, sinks, washing machines, and kitchen appliances), 500 liters of hazardous wastes, and 95,000 liters of oily bilge water. This means that commercial travel and dumping is hurting ocean animals and destroying their environment. This matters because everyday, thousands of large ships travel around the globe by ocean, dumping more and more waste that is toxic to ocean environments and polluting our waters.

In addition to the thousands of liters of sewage from large ships, illegal dumping also causes many problems for ocean ecosystems. Tons of non-degradable plastics and metals are illegally dumped into oceans every year. These pollutants invade environments and can cause genetic mutations, birth defects, and even cancer in animals living in those areas. Also, pesticides and fertilizers are carried into the ocean due to runoff from agricultural land into rivers. This not only causes problems for animals living in the river but it also damages in the ocean that the river flows into.

For a solution to this major issue, I suggest focusing on more Eco-friendly options. For example, we could invest in an alternate fuel source for large ships like solar power and limit uses of water on the ship like only using a clothes washer on completely full loads to limit grey water. Also, you could suggest higher consequences for illegal dumping to get more people to stop from committing the crime.

In conclusion, ocean pollution is a huge issue in our world that needs to be addressed and solved in the upcoming years.

Sincerely,

Ryan W