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Shreyas Kompalli

Mrs. Gardner

English 10H/Period 6

29 November 2016

Dear President-elect Trump,

My name is Shreyas Kompalli, and I write this letter to bring forth the issue of climate

change. Climate change is rapidly altering the environments of the world, and I speak on this

topic to add my voice to the millions of Americans who feel you, Mr. President-elect, must act

soon. Proper planning will lead to a prevention of this problem, but without it, the results will be

unimaginable. Climate change rises as an issue in our world, and if left unaddressed, it could

lead to a devastating end to our planet as we know it.

The effects of climate change have already shown their faces in our country, in the drastic

weather occurrences the United States has been repeatedly experiencing. The US Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) states, rising global temperatures have been accompanied by changes

in weather and climate resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more

frequent and severe heat waves. As a Californian, this change affects me very deeply. We are

experiencing the worst drought in our states history at the moment, with devastating effects on

our wildlife. I personally have seen creeks and streams completely dried up with fish and

waterfowl lying dead in them, a horrific sight for anyone to witness. We must find a solution.

Allowing our country, and our world, to deteriorate so rapidly is unacceptable, and to avoid this,

you must take action now, Mr. President-elect.

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The rise of global temperatures also brings forth another tremendous problem: the

melting of polar ice caps. While this may sound like a relatively tame issue happening far away

from any human life, its effects are actually very far-reaching and could be as devastating as any

natural disaster the human race has witnessed thus far. A study done by NASA claims, the

Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before [2050]. One

consequence of this results in the complete loss of a crucial habitat for polar bears and other

Arctic wildlife. These species will slowly die out because of the melting, and to allow this would

be a moral atrocity. Along with the effects on wildlife, the melting ice caps will also result in the

rapid rise of sea levels. NASA has stated global oceans are projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet

by 2100. This will mean the destruction of our coasts, the destruction of our homes, and the

destruction of our lives. States with buildings near the coastline can and will be affected by

floods as a result of sea level increase, costing not only millions of dollars in repairs, but also a

loss of large amounts of usable land, which will hinder the growth of our country. With our polar

ice caps intact, our country and our ecosystems can flourish, but without our polar ice caps, they

are sure to fall.

Despite the gloom these facts have brought, there exists one key course of action which

you, Mr. President-elect, can take, to slow climate change and restore the Earths atmosphere:

you can aid in funding the development of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is a clean energy

source, due to its lack of carbon dioxide emissions. These emissions, mainly from human use of

gas and coal, are the chief contributors to climate change. However, by funding research into

cleaner energies like nuclear power, we can stop CO2 emissions and reverse the effects of
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climate change. It will be a Herculean task, Mr. President-elect, but with your financial support

towards nuclear energy sources, stopping climate change in its tracks is possible.

Some may say this plan to rely on nuclear power has one glaring flaw: the radioactive

waste produced from production within each power plant. This is a current problem, but

scientists have discovered possible alternatives, the best one being nuclear fusion. Currently, our

reactors use nuclear fission, which creates large amounts of nuclear waste. However, nuclear

fusion, a completely different process where atoms combine, creates almost no waste. Also,

fusion produces three-to-ten times as much [energy] on average compared to fission, according

to Ethan Siegel, an astrophysicist from Lewis and Clark College. Scientists believe nuclear

fusion could be a viable option in the near future; with this development, the waste problem

would be solved, and a vastly more efficient energy source would be created.

With this information and plan of action, I hope I have convinced you, Mr.

President-elect, to take a stand on the most dangerous issue currently facing humanity, the issue

of climate change. For our environment, for our people, for our Earth, you must act now.

Complacency leads to a lack of solutions, but solutions come from a lack of complacency. Will

you appeal to your sense of morality, Mr. President-elect, and help save our world?

Sincerely,

Shreyas Kompalli

Word Count: 800