Message to my next president: Be the president that saves the planet

To my future president,

The earth is dying — it’s a fact. How fast though, we are not sure.

Mother nature has bestowed on us a beautiful planet to meticulously care for and love with all our hearts. However, the United States is currently not doing enough to protect the environment, as we have seen an unprecedented withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, spelling disaster for the planet with climate change.

The U.S. is the country with the second highest greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. We must take responsibility for the harm we’re causing to the planet.

What does the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement mean? What message would that send to other countries? Have we surrendered to the forces of climate change? 

Every day, global temperatures rise with no hints of it stopping, as reported by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Every day, we watch and regret that we didn’t take care of our planet as wildfires engulf the West Coast. Every day, sea temperatures rise and cities flood, as reported by NASA. Every day, we sit and wonder, what will our President do? 

With all due respect, change doesn’t just come because you say so, change comes when you do so. Acts must be passed, laws must be enforced and change must occur if we plan on continuing to prosper on this planet.

We cannot follow what our predecessors have done, it is proven to create none to minimal improvement toward the health of our world. 

It is imperative that we come up with new guidelines, new standards, new laws that will enforce what scientists have proposed. This may be our only chance to save planet Earth. The detrimental effects that we have brought to her over the years will cause her to snap.

The question is when and whether or not you will be the president that will save our planet. 

Sincerely,

Freddy Song

Mark Keppel High School

Monterey Park, Calif.