I hope you make the right decisions for our country, especially for the children like me

Dear Mr. Trump,

Since you are in power, I think you can help change some things that are adversely affecting my community and our connected future. I’m extremely worried about climate change. You’ve mentioned that you don’t believe in climate change and plan to promote fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are not only bad for our environment, but our continued reliance on this is dangerous. Currently, for every dollar we spend on renewable energy, six dollars are spent on fossil fuel. In addition, the increased use of fracking plates in the earth filled with oil has very bad effects. Oklahoma has had up to three minor earthquakes a day because of this. Also, when an oil pipeline cracks, the companies that are making a profit selling this fuel don’t pay for the repairs! Instead they make the government pay which means that the money the government is using is coming out of our taxes which should not be used to fix oil pipes. The oil leaks also ruin the land and the water in the surrounding area, and the companies that cause the damage are often unwilling to pay for the cleanup. I found a quote by French politician Christine Lagarde that sums up what I am trying to say. She says, “We are subsidizing the very behavior that is destroying our planet.” I want you to take this point into consideration.

I know that you are concerned about increasing employment in the country. Renewable energy like solar power and wind power can be reused, and spreading this type of energy across the country could also be a good source of employment. If I were the president, I would retrain the people who have lost their jobs in the coal industry to work in the solar and wind power industry. This way you fix employment and can also help reduce climate change, two huge problems in America.

I admire how you congratulated Hillary Clinton, and now I am congratulating you. I hope you make the right decisions for our country, especially for the children like me.

Sincerely,

Rimil Ghosh, Grade 6, Greene Street Friends School