Mornington Secondary College

1051 Nepean Highway, Mornington 3931

Victoria

The Honorable Mr. Malcom Turnbull.

Prime Minister
Prime Minister’s office
Parliament House
Canberra A.C.T

30/8/2018

Dear Mr. Morrison,

My name is Caitlin Quinn, I am a year seven student in 7H at Mornington S.C. We are

currently studying about water issues and how they affect Australia. There are some
issues that concern me and I would like to discuss them with you. These issues are,
global warming, sea level rise and water wastage in Australia.

Global warming is an issue that concerns us all. Most scientists agree that the main
cause of global warming is humans increasing the greenhouse effect through carbon
emissions. Humans have increased carbon emissions by more than one third since the
industrial revolution began. We are burning too many fossil fuels like coal and oil and
combined with deforestation due to agriculture and industry this also has increased
greenhouse emission. One goal is to reduce greenhouse gases to 450-550 parts per
million. This is point where the most damaging impacts of global warming can be
avoided. We can use renewable energy sources which can reduce emissions. These
include wind and solar power, biofuels, hydrogen produced from renewable sources and
natural gas. We can also plant more trees which can take carbon dioxide out of the air.
The levels of sea water increasing is related to the rise in greenhouse emissions the
stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other
ice. Ocean water also expands when it is warmer, which will also contribute further to
sea level rise. A CSIRO graph has shown a marked rise in the seawater levels between
1880 and 2018 by over 200 milliliters. Rising sea levels can affect both humans and our
ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef being an example. The coral ecosystem is being badly
damaged. Part of the solutions for rising sea levels include of course reducing global
warming as I have discussed. Otherwise we will need to look at how to protect our
coasts by installing drainage systems and building up seawalls. The most important thing
to do of course is reduce global warming.

We Australians are also not doing enough to protect our precious water resources. The
CSIRO in a report has stated that Australia is wasting 92% of its city run off water and
86% of its effluent water. This water could be used for irrigation of city parks, ovals and
other horticultural uses. Also industry could use this water. Most average households
could also do more to not waste water. Education about water usage would go a long
way to help us conserve our precious water supplies. About 95% of water entering our
homes goes down the drain. We have become so used to having easy access to clean
water that we take it for granted. Australian households hold the worst record for water
consumption according to a global study by the international water experts Hoekstra
and Chapagan. If our usage does not change, two out of every three people will live in
water-stressed conditions by 2025. As I mentioned before, education is key to reducing
our water consumption. We can promote water conscious communities that can do
their part to save our precious water.

I hope Mr. Turnbull that we can all contribute to solving the problems I have discussed. I
believe we all have a role big or small, but we cannot ignore this problem any longer.
Our resources are precious and we need to respect our planet.

Thank you for your time

Yours sincerely

Caitlin Quinn

7H Mornington Secondary College Victoria Australia

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