Lauren Kasberg, 11 Spruce School North Olmstead, Ohio
As many as half of all the living species on earth-some experts say more than 90 percent of all living species-find their homes in tropical rain forests and cannot survive anywhere else. Most biologists believe that the destruction of the tropical rain forests represents the single most serious damage to nature now occurring. They are disappearing from the face of the earth at a rate of one and a half acres a second, night and day, all year round. The president and I are committed to ways to reduce this destruction. We strongly support innovative measures like debt-for-nature swaps, in which Third World countries are forgiven part of their foreign debt in exchange for protecting rain-forest land. We need to find more incentives. Private companies and governments must work hand in hand, with the understanding that if we don’t save the rain forests now, it will be too late later.
Sigita O. Janulaitis, 12 Lawrence School Brookline, Mass.
A part of the ozone layer has a hole in it over Antarctica, or the South Pole, and it’s getting bigger because of the harmful chemicals we are putting in the air every day. But we can do something to stop it. We can stop using aerosol products with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). When we have our air conditioners and refrigerators fixed, we can make sure the CFCs are recaptured. And the United States can agree to observe international agreements to limit the amount of ozone-depleting chemicals released into the air.
Braden Aftergood, 11 Webster Elementary School Malibu, Calif.
For a long time, it was thought that environmental protection hurt economic growth. In fact, the reverse is true. It means new jobs, new business opportunities and increasing profits. Environmental efficiency helps businesses become more competitive. After all, pollution really is waste-what’s left over from production of goods.
Jennifer Henry, 10 Park Oaks Center School Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Global warming comes from an increase in the amount of radiation retained in the lower atmosphere-the air you and I breathe. It is caused by gases being released into the air, mainly carbon dioxide, from cars and industries. Carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere acts like a blanket, trapping heat close to earth, much like a greenhouse traps heat. President Clinton and I strongly support the development and use of alternative fuels such as natural gas that reduce the emissions of gases that cause global warming. The president is proposing increased investments in developing technologies that allow economic growth but do not harm the environment, such as cleaner-burning automobile engines and cars that run on electric power instead of gasoline. America could lead in this area.
Rachel Vacha, almost 11 Spruce School North Olmstead, Ohio
Every year, we throw out enough writing paper to build a 12-foot-high wall from Los Angeles to New York; every three months we toss out enough aluminum to rebuild every commercial aircraft in the country; each year we discard enough iron and steel to meet the needs of all three U.S. automakers; each hour we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles. We need to rethink our throwaway mentality. It starts with each of us making an effort to recycle garbage in our own homes, with communities setting up recycling centers, and with state and federal governments creating incentives and markets for recycled products.
Sarah Muller, 13 James Lick Middle School San Francisco, Calif.
We must make a concerted effort to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, such as oil, that create a lot of pollution when we use them for energy. Instead, we need to be developing and using more alternative fuels, like clean-burning natural gas, and renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power and wind power.
Joseph Gluck, 11 Park Oaks Center School Thousand Oaks, Calif.
We must get the federal agencies and the auto companies together so they can develop cars that are widely available but that do not harm the environment. If successful, the American automobile industry could dominate the world market in selling energy-efficient cars.
