Jones was traveling in Europe when he got the news. Heartbroken, he penned this open letter to the President in his notebook.
Editor’s note: Immediately following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the global climate treaty, known simply as the Paris Accord, Jeremy Jones was heartbroken. Traveling in Europe, he sat down, put pen to paper, and wrote a passionate plea to the President of the United States to think about the children of this country and the world. Following is an excerpt of Jeremy’s letter, which originally ran as a SNEWS exclusive.
Dear Mr. President,
I have spent my life in the mountains. My life depends on being in tune with nature, weather, and snow.
In 2007, I started Protect Our Winters because I had become increasingly alarmed with the changing climate and shrinking of glaciers.
I did not need science to tell me snow lines are rising, the weather is getting more erratic and more extreme, and that glaciers are melting at a rapid rate.
However, it is science that I ask you to accept. It is the work of 13,000 scientists representing the world’s most prestigious scholastic institutions. It is the people being forced out of their countries by rising sea levels and extreme drought. It is the bleaching of the reefs, the scorching of the earth, and the melting of the poles.
Most importantly, I write to you for the kids of today.
Read the letter in its entirety, here.
