October 19, 2016

Dear Future President,

Pollution has been killing and severely injuring people all around the world. Some kids in China can't even go outside to play unless they put masks on, and in some parts of China you can't even see across the street! Pollution is at its worst and it needs to be fixed. I have had some very bad experiences with pollution. I can’t even count how many times bottles and wrappers have floated by me when I’m kayaking.

There are many things that have been causing pollution over all these years. There are many natural resources that are causing pollution like forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radioactivity. Ships and planes have made people’s lives easier, they are also some of the biggest causes of air pollution. Emissions from vehicular combustion engines contain gaseous oxide, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide, all of which contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. Sewage and wastewater also have made up about half of the oceans pollution. “Each year, the world generates perhaps five to ten billion tons of industrial waste, much of which is pumped untreated into rivers, oceans, and other waterways.” Referance.com

Along with all the causes of pollution, there are also many effects. According to ESchooltoday.com “Long-term health effects can include chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer, heart disease, and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys. Continual exposure to air pollution affects the lungs of growing children and may aggravate or complicate medical conditions in the elderly.” This means that pollution is affecting us in many ways that could lead to severe injury or death, and could change our lives forever. This matters because people are getting their lives taken because we can’t control how much we pollute the air. The most common effect of water pollution on human beings is disease. Drinking water contaminated by disease-carrying microorganisms, also known as pathogens, cause various waterborne diseases, such as typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and cholera.

We can fix pollution in many ways. First we could conserve more energy. All it takes is turning out the lights when you leave the house, or shutting off the computer when you’re done with it. Second we could use our cars less. You could carpool or walk or bike if it is short distance. You would be surprised how much those two things would change the world’s pollution.

Overall, people are dying and getting severely injured and we need to bring to it to an end. Just the littlest changes can save someone's life, so let’s put pollution to an end.

Sincerely,

J.W.