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Effectiveness Of Writing For Politicians For Environmental Advocacy Essay

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New Albany High School

Changing the World by Talking to Those Who Can
The Effectiveness of Writing to Politicians for Environmental Advocacy

Ian Kimbell
English 10 Honors
Mrs. Angela Smith
November 29, 2016

Changing the World by Talking to Those Who Can
The government can be the environment’s greatest ally or its worst enemy. Governing bodies can produce legislation such as the Montreal Protocol, which may be preventing upwards of 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere every year (Cardone). However, the government also has the power to destroy the environment, such as future president Donald Trump’s plans to severely reduce or even shut down the Environmental Protection Agency (Donald Trump on Environment). So, it seems that laws and policies are the most immediate and effective pathway toward impacting the environment. This conclusion is further supported by the example of the correlation between the spike in major environmental laws in the 1970s (see graph 1) and the boom in environmental consciousness in that period, such as widespread participation in Earth Day and increased support for groups such as the Campaign Against Pollution (Environmental Movement). This means that influencing politicians through direct communication such as letters and emails should theoretically be one of the best ways for an average person to advocate for our planet. But, do elected officials actually read the letters you send them? It

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