Environmental issues are everywhere we turn, but did you know that there's a mass of trash two times the size of America floating in our oceans? Don't believe me? Research "trash vortex" and you'll find all kinds of analysis pertaining to this big blob of scum, dirty diapers, cigarettes, used products, plastic pieces, etc. floating in the "gorgeous" waters in which we and many other creatures swim.

Not only is this mass killing many animals, but it is also occasionally carried up onto land and beaches, resulting in a devastation of beaches covered in a blanket layer of waste. This waste is not only unattractive, but also physically toxic for any living thing. The chemicals it radiates can cause cancer in humans, infect the water system and cause people to become very ill from drinking water or even breathing in air around it.

Why don't we go out and clean it? Why don't we bring boats out and carry it out in bags? Where does it go after you do that? What else will this waste pollute?

People could go out and remove trash from the mass, and many have tried to. But it's so large that it would take a huge effort by many people to make a difference. That is our problem: people just don't care. If it doesn't immediately affect them, most people don't care to notice. What if this waste piled up after years could flood the world in trash? What if I told you that if people keep consuming, human populations keep increasing and less environmental regulations are being enforced -- you, your kids, and your grandkids could be in huge danger. We already are in danger. Pollution is everywhere.

In South Carolina, there is a bridge nicknamed "the stinky bridge." Ever smelt it? The air reeks of sulfur and horrible poisonous gas from miles away and doesn't leave your nostrils until your far from it. It's positioned on a marsh, and all the water around it is toxic. There are no signs of life around this factory -- not a house nearby -- just an old, brown bridge that allows people to drive over the devastation and be done with it after 10 minutes. This is what they want. The sky is always gray when you go over the bridge and you feel awful for those 10 minutes you drive past, but that's it. They even try to put recycling signs up near the factory and pretend like putting a green logo in front of their robotic smoke stacks will fool people.

Did you know that on the east coast the air condition is ranked as unhealthy, and our rain is usually acidic? This can cause cancer, death, lung poisoning and more. This is already happening in China, where they have to wear masks to go anywhere outside. Even this mask might veil the truth. A thin mask does not seem like it would protect you from the hazardous air all around.

Do we want this to happen everywhere? Will the President of the United States take notice? Instead, money is being poured into oil factories (even though our natural oil reserves are quickly being depleted). Our focus now is keeping the U.S.A. a dominant power over all, consuming as much as possible and pushing down developing countries. While we are competing, others are trying to reach us, too, causing developing countries to expand and consume more. If everyone started to consume as much as Americans do we would need four planet earths to sustain us. If we continue like this, we won't solve any of these obvious problems and the human race could exterminate themselves.

A trash vortex in the middle of our ocean, flooding, air pollution, wearing masks and climate change are all real long term issues much more important than the issues our government currently focuses on.