Dylan Santa

Ms. Gardner

English 10H/Per 6

29 November 2016

Mr. President-elect,

Hello. Because of the precarious state of the environment, I must speak out. Last summer, I visited the

incomparable Yosemite Valley in my home state of California, and, as I was ascending unparalleled

granite cliffs topped with imposing, massive sequoias, I realized the unique protection of this local Eden.

No tree may be felled; no rock may be moved; no animal may be killed. Loopholes exist, however, and

such sanctions are not in place in other fragile environments where one tree chopped leads to one forest,

to an entire wilderness razed. While we acknowledge the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, the

irreversible tainting of the Yellow River, and the annihilation of the Amazon Rainforest, the United States

suffers are dying, because our mountaintops are disappearing,
silently. Because our reefs in Florida

because our rivers are degrading, the environment, as well as the economy, are in danger.

Continued and increased pollution, overfishing, tourism, and temperature change in the reefs of Florida,

so precious in their frailty and irreplaceability, so diverse, so productive, have sustained a twenty-seven

percent loss, and on their current path, will sustain a seventy-seven percent loss in forty years. Are we not

to blame for this? Economically, every square mile lost would eliminate thirty tons of seafood from the

market annually, translating to billions of dollars and countless jobs disappearing. Ecologically, in Florida

alone, according to Defenders of Wildlife, the destruction of the reefs would potentially cause the

extinction of some eighty-two species of coral and five species of sea turtle and five hundred species of
fish and seventeen hundred species of mollusks and hundreds of species of sponges. Holistically, a

healthy, well-managed reef equals a productive environment, a productive environment sustainable

fishing, sustainable fishing jobs.

Of greater inland concern to the American people is Mountaintop Removal (MTR), a process where

miners utterly decimate entire mountains to unearth the coal within. While supporters will boast the

ninety percent coal recovery rate versus underground minings fifty percent, they neglect to mention the

long term effects. Yes, MTR employs many people effectively; however, because a loophole in the Clean

Water Act which classifies mining waste as fill material, allowing the negligent disposal of rubble into

streams and valleys, companies have poisoned countless water supplies which, in turn, poison present and

future employees as well as their food supply, both aquatic and terrestrial. Although the corporate

Robespierres claim to reattach the mountains heads, it is impossible to unbury and unpoison the

thousands of entombed brooks, streams, and creeks. Why provide a few jobs now which subsequently

cripples a greater, forthcoming workforce? Ultimately, a small gain now translates to a massive loss later.

Sadly, babbling brooks and surging streams seem inconsequential when compared to the ruinous state of

the Mississippi. According to the advocacy group Environment Missouri, sewage treatment plants,

factories, farms, and pastures dumped 12.7 million pounds of toxic chemicals such as mercury and arsenic

into the Mississippi in 2010 alone. By overfeeding deoxygenating algae with gross amounts of nitrates

and phosphates, the once-great river is suffocating. Closing beaches; poisoning plants, wildlife, and small

pets; harming drinking water; killing innumerable fish; this deleterious discharge brings the Mississippi to

its knees.We must not tolerate the destruction of these necessities. Without beaches, we languish; without

pets, we lament; without water, we thirst; without food, we starve.

This issue is not about me, nor is it about you; this concerns not only the people of the United States, but

the people of the world, for when America does something, for better or worse, the world follows. Yes,

these jobs provide a plethora of production and amenities today; however, they are ultimately

unsustainable. Mr. President-elect, look at the facts. Whether or not the state of the environment concerns

you, jobs that pillage nonrenewable natural resources will vanish simultaneously with the source. We

offer opportunities now, hardship later. The environment is not merely a commodity that people may kick

around inconsequentially; it is the mortar with which we bind society. If it falls, we all fall with it.

Mr. President-elect, if you truly care about the employment of your citizens, about the long-term effects

of your actions, about the happiness of your people, regulate fishing in the reefs, require mindful waste

disposal, inspire innovation in clean energy. Give my generation a chance to work in a stable career, and

live in a stable ecosystem that continuously gives back. Let us experience this great nation, and it us, for

without nature, we lose not only its majesty, but ourselves as well.