To the Editor,

Climate change is becoming a bigger problem by the second. Literally, as we sit here, cars and trucks driving, emitting CO2. Today, we were on the highway, and saw tons of cut down trees laying on the side of the road. This is terrible for the environment.

Trees, if anything, do the best job to help the earth. They absorb CO2 by their leaves, store it in their bark or roots, or turn it into oxygen, but trees are disappearing at a rate equal to 1,000 football fields every single hour. So please try to plant a tree whenever possible. When you buy things that took trees — paper, books, wood — try looking for a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label, which means that this company plants a tree for every one cut down.

Here are some of the problems climate change is causing:

*Sea rise. Rising sea levels could affect 1 billion people by 2050, threatening islands and coastal cities by intensifying flooding and storm surge.

*More severe weather. A warming planet could cause more frequent, worse hurricanes, and less snow.

*Heat waves. Heat waves are already more frequent and severe around the globe, affecting hundreds of millions — even billions — of people.

*Ice-free Arctic. Arctic sea ice recedes every summer, but still covers millions of square miles of ocean today. With the Arctic warming faster than anywhere on earth, ice free summers could be a reality by 2030! This could mean polar bears could go extinct soon.

These things you can do in your daily life can help, if we work together.

*Transportation. Reduce the fossil fuel impact of your daily commute to work or school by riding your bike, walking, carpooling, or using public transportation.

*Food waste. Only buy what you need, eat what you buy, and freeze food when necessary.

*Speak. Try and talk to your school and see if they can cut down on plastic straws and spoons, or have more gardens for fresh, healthy food that doesn’t have packaging.

The climate is changing fast. So please, do all you can. If we work together, we can slow down and even stop climate change.

Clare Danner (age 10)

Newtown