Dear Nicolas,

Your favorite uncle here. I hope you are doing great, that everything is good and that things have turned out just how you planned them. In fact, I’m really interested in knowing how things turned out for you and also how things turned out for our planet. I’ll explain why I’m interested in that.

See, its 2019 and we are living in very interesting times as you may have read in your history books. This is what textbooks may be referring to as the tipping point where nations, governments and humanity came together to solve the global warming problem. I hope that’s what they say, otherwise they will talk about this time as the last opportunity we had to save our planet but nothing was done. I’ll share what is going on and why we may have taken either decision.

Currently, the United States focuses solely on economic development at all costs. Some of the costs include excessive use of resources, the use of nonrenewable energy and materials as well as the carbon footprint produced by all products. These factors have contributed to global warming and 97 percent of scientists agree with this. Yet, somehow some people and politicians believe that this is a hoax. Here is where the debate and lack of action begins. There have been many global agreements like the Paris Agreement in which all countries pledge to lower their carbon emissions in order to fight global warming. Well, there are two main problems with that. First, there is no system or rules to keep each country accountable. Second, this is a voluntary commitment which holds no weight. Former United States President Barack Obama joined the Paris Agreement, but he successor Donald J Trump decided to back out of it.

You hear people talk about the consequences of global warming may have, yet there seems to be no action to combat it. California has been the most proactive towards this issue. Passing regulations to decrease carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable resources. However, on a national level not much is being done. Water levels are rising, temperatures have become more extreme. Hurricanes are stronger and occur more frequently, California experiences stronger fires more often and yet not much is being done.

That is why I am interested in knowing how the environment is now with you. Did we realize the impacts of global warming and acted before it was too late. Or did we continue to ignore past the point of no return.

Whatever the answer is, I hope you are making the most out of it.

Take care. Your uncle,

Bryand Castillo