Dear Climate Change Denying Politicians,

Look. I get it. You’ve got quite the successful gig going on. Despite the fact that 97% of scientists have proven climate change is a real and serious problem caused by humans, you still got a large percentage of Americans to believe that it’s a hoax. You can pat yourselves on the back for that one. It sure did take a lot of lying and lobbying to make it work, but in the end, you did it.

Climate denial is not just a fringe conspiracy, it’s the status quo of one of the two main American political parties. In fact, the United States Republican Party is the only major political party in the world that denies climate change.

It’s actually a pretty genius stunt that you guys have been pulling. Tell me if this sounds familiar:

Fossil fuel companies donate money to your campaigns, and in return, you convince your supporters that Climate Change is a hoax, pollution is nothing to worry about, and that taking action to protect the environment is absurd.

You make repealing emission restrictions-- moves that do nothing but destroy the natural resources we rely on-- sound like great legislation. You twist and you lie until you get people to be furious that anyone would dare deny them the right to contaminate their own water supplies. You make people believe that protecting endangered species and leaving forests for their children to enjoy is a stupid, “hippie”, liberal thing to do.

Then, after enraging enough people, you get elected, and then get to work trying to prevent any progress in weaning off fossil fuels from being made. That way, your rich oil friends can keep making money poisoning the air and water we depend on, and with that money, they can fund your re-election. Once you get re-elected, it’s back to fighting against science, so that your oil friends get even more money to elect you again-- and the cycle goes on.

Meanwhile, the earth’s clock keeps ticking. Climate change doesn’t care if you acknowledge it or not, global temperatures are still rapidly rising, this year being the hottest on record. More people are dying from climate change and pollution related issues than die of terrorism every year. A report commissioned by the governments of over 20 countries found that more than 100 million people will die as a result of climate change by 2030 if the world stays on its current path.

Now there is still a window of opportunity to scale back pollution and tame the rising temperatures of our planet, but that window is rapidly closing, as 39.8 billion tons of carbon are being emitted each year, and temperatures keep rising. If we don’t act now, the damage will be irreversible.

So I wonder when this game of yours is going to stop. Will it ever stop? Because you may be fooling a significant percentage of the American population, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t fool yourself. You know the truth. You were smart enough to make it this far in politics. You understand basic science. You know bringing a snowball into the senate floor doesn’t prove the ice caps aren’t melting. You also understand that all fossil fuels are predicted to run out by 2088.

That means in around 70 years, what currently accounts for approximately 82% of the world's primary energy use will be gone.

Now you claim to care about the American people, but can you even begin to imagine the economic collapse, chaos, and devastation that will overwhelm the world when the energy you insist we should continue to depend on, is all used up? And keep in mind, 2088 isn’t that far off-- it’s well within your children and grandchildrens lifetimes.

But you don’t seem to care about them. Right now, you aren’t even looking farther than your next paycheck.
You can change that though. You politicians can come together and end the cycle of lying and lobbying. I know it sounds like a hassle, but this is our future we’re talking about. Taking a little political heat now is not a very high price to pay for preventing a global catastrophe. It’ll be more than worth it.

Time is running out though. The day is dawning on us when it’ll be too late. When the damage of climate change will become irreversible. Now what will that look like? Well, scientists predict that it’ll look a bit like this:

Coastal cities will be submerged under water. Oceans will be acidic and lifeless, causing the food chain to crumble. Storms and droughts will increase in intensity and frequency, causing deadly, widespread famine, followed by economic collapse.

Now tell me, what will your petty political reputation, and few dollar bills from your oil-buddies mean then?

Sincerely,
A girl who doesn’t want to breath the crappy air you’re leaving for her generation