Dear Madam or Mister President, 

Climate change is our fault. We are the reason why certain species might become extinct. We are the reason why some cities might become submerged. We are the reason for dramatic weather changes that may happen. We are the people who need to stop it. No one can claim that it isn't real. It is. We cannot just leave it for future generations to deal with.  It is already out of hand and needs to be stopped before it is too late. You have the power to do so. 

Climate change kills. The beautiful and powerful polar bear could become extinct. These bears depend around one thing, ice. Polar bears are also very dependent on seals. Seals are rich in fat, which is very important for the females especially, so that they can give birth to healthy cubs. This is becoming hard because polar bears hunt seals on sea ice. Higher temperatures, caused by global warming, are causing dramatic declines in the amount of sea ice.  How can they hunt enough seals if there is not enough sea ice to do so? They can't. This means they might starve. If you have enough ice for the bears to hunt seals on, you end up with a bigger population of bears! That's what I want. 

Many other animals are affected by global warming too - not in a good way. Take moose for example. The New Hampshire moose population has dropped by more than 40% in the last 10 years  from over 7,500 moose to just 4,000. Heat affects moose a lot, as summer heat stress leads to moose having less calves, losing weight, and increased exposure to disease. Rising temperatures also mean rising tick populations. Moose are in trouble during winter because when they try to scratch off the ticks, they end up scratching themselves too much and the scratch off some of their fur. This can ensure they become very cold in winter. Ticks also leave moose weak from losing blood. Because of rising tick populations - a moose was recorded to have been infested with 150,000 ticks - much more than normal.

 Sea levels are rising. This is because glaciers are melting. Why? Earth is heating up due to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the when Earth's atmosphere, caused by trapped gasses such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane, allows sunlight to pass through but absorbs heat that "bounces"  back from the earth's surface. If sea levels rise too much, parts of places like Florida, California, Miami, New Jersey, New York, and Louisiana, to name a few would be flooded. This could cause billions of dollars in damage. 

Global warming is increasing the severity and regularity of some types of extreme weather. Global warming is making hot days even more hot, strengthening tropical storms such as hurricanes, making rainstorms and flooding heavier, and droughts more severe. Take winter weather for example. There is more water being evaporated into the air due to high temperatures. This is bringing more intense precipitation or snow storms. Another effect that global warming has on winter weather is that winters are shorter and less cold, lots of raining and flooding are more common, and warm spells (sudden, relatively brief period of warm/ hot weather) and cold snaps (sudden, relatively brief period of cold weather) can cause vast crop damage. This is very bad because it can cause some species, such as birds, to stay is an area instead of migrating south like they usually do. When a bitter cold snap comes, these animals have to be relocated. Global warming causes many unwanted issues to occur.

Climate change has had a huge impact on forests in the west. Warmer winter temperatures are contributing to large and deadly outbreaks of bark beetles. These beetles infest and kill trees. These trees then become easy places for wild fires to erupt and spread. Many trees are dying this way - and fast.

I believe I have made clear how much harm global warming does to us - and wildlife. It is true that not all climate change can be prevented, but, much of it can be! Please help our country change the climate once more - this time, for the better!

Sincerely, 

Nicki K.

Sources: 

http://www.wildernessclassroom.com/members/teacher/rainforest/global_warming.pdf

https://www.climatecommunication.org/climate/global-warming/

https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/24/opinion/sunday/what-could-disappear.html?_r=0

http://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/sea-level.html

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/threats-to-wildlife/global-warming/global-warming-is-causing-extreme-weather.aspx

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Moose.aspx

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/threats-to-wildlife/global-warming/effects-on-wildlife-and-habitat/western-forests.aspx