Dear Mr. President-Elect Trump,

Congratulations on winning the election to be our President. As the leader of the United States of America, your election not only means that you are guiding the direction of our great country, but you are guiding the direction of the globe. Countries all over the world look to America for leadership, and you are now entrusted to uphold the protection of freedom, peace, and safety for every man, woman, and child on this earth. As our President, it is your unique responsibility to steer the course of history for all of the people in this country and on this planet.

Mr. President-Elect, we truly hope that you will make America great. In your acceptance speech, you asked Americans from both sides of the aisle to work with you, and we believe that you really want to do that. Therefore, we are writing this letter to extend a hand back to you and tell you that we would all like to work with you too.

We have a proposition for you – we can win even more, and we can win big, by acting on climate change. Climate change is an American problem, as well as a global problem, and policies that support this issue protect American interests. Our communities, national security, and economy are at risk. You, President Trump, can go down in history as the man that saved the Earth from itself, and we would love nothing more than to uphold you as the great American leader you say you will be if you make climate change a priority.

America actually has already been winning on climate change in many ways. Without America reaching out a hand to work with China, the nations of the globe would not have come together to sign the most historic agreement to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Other countries needed the leadership of the most powerful economies in the world, and America sent a strong message to them that we all must work together and recognize our shared responsibility in this global problem. We won by getting over 190 countries to sign the Paris Agreement last December.

America has won by having some of the most intelligent people on the planet create computer models that replicate how the Earth’s climate system works, and they allow us to see into the future of what climate change might do if we do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They show that climate change is happening now, and they show that if we do nothing it will get worse. America has won by already taking preventative actions to improve resiliency to changing storms, rising temperatures, wildfires, floods, and drought which threaten the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, food security, livelihoods, beautiful landscapes, and businesses.

Our local towns and cities, our states, our federal government, and many of our companies have all demonstrated their desire to improve the quality of our shared lives today – and our future tomorrow – by acting on climate. You can continue this legacy, and make it even bigger and better. We really, really want to win here.

Here are some things you can do as our President and that we want to work with you on in order to make sure that America continues to win in the fight against climate change.

1. Infrastructure. You said you want to invest in our nation’s infrastructure, and so do we. Building green and grey infrastructure can provide a win-win solution. Changes in climate threaten existing bridges, roads, railways, and airports. We all can work together to make sure that the useful life of this new and better infrastructure will be built to withstand higher sea levels, extreme heat, floods, and droughts in the 2020s, 2050s, and even through 2100.

2. Jobs and energy. Invest in American technology companies that will construct this new infrastructure, that will expand renewable energy like solar and wind, and that will build efficient hybrid and electric cars and trucks – all of which can be made right here in this country. As a businessman, you know that times change and new areas of competition arise every day that we have to keep up with. We must invest in the areas that will make us more competitive with the rest of the globe, and that will make people around the world want to buy our products. America can far and away outpace the rest of the world in these technologies if we want to. Nations everywhere are moving in this direction, and we need to as well or they will move on without us. Other countries will take the lead if we do not. We cannot turn back to the energy technologies of yesterday. America's companies and small businesses can be more competitive both within and outside of our nation’s borders for many years if we create manufacturing jobs for the middle class in technologies of the future. We can make our economy stronger by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and making our businesses and homes more resilient to climate change.

3. Uphold and strengthen our commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement. In order to work with other nations on any issue, countries have to trust us, and we have to trust them. Nothing has forced countries of the globe to cooperate together more than the fight against climate change has. Over the past two decades, we have spent countless hours, weeks, and years building the mutual trust and respect that is necessary for us all to work together, and it finally culminated in December of 2015 in the signing of the Paris Agreement. As a successful leader in business, you know more than most that in any deal we must uphold our end of the bargain if we are to trust our partners to uphold theirs. We want to keep America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement alive, and we do not want to tear it up.

4. Fill your new administration with leaders who understand the risks of climate change. Unfortunately, there are people who do not understand climate change due to its complexity, and as a result they underestimate its impacts – or even worse, do not believe it is happening. But we do know and do understand the real risks that climate change poses to our country if we do nothing about it. In order to win in this area, the people you decide to fill your administration with will have a huge influence on America's success, and they need to be people who fully understand the true risks of climate change. There are very smart people at universities and institutions around the country who have been working for many years on this topic and would be perfect for the job. Please do not appoint a person who has chosen to turn a blind eye to the science of climate change to lead this very important effort – that is irresponsible and it puts our nation at risk.

President Trump, you have been elected at a very unique time in history, because now is the time to win. If we wait a few years to act, we very well may lose. As our President, you have the opportunity to write the history books in a way that no one else can by working to limit climate change. Today’s young people – who you are now responsible for – can look back when they are adults and respect the good work that you did to make their lives better.

If you have any questions about the science of climate change and what it means for America, we have the best and brightest minds in the world right here in this country who would be happy to sit down with you for as long as you need to understand it. We want to hear your concerns on the issue and discuss pathways forward. We would love to show you the examples of what cities, states, and businesses across our nation are already doing about this problem, and why it matters so much to all of us.

Climate change is the most important issue facing our nation and our future, and America cannot afford to wait any longer to take action. We have demonstrated that America is a global leader already by signing onto the Paris Climate Agreement, and we are asking you to guide our nation by upholding that commitment. We are ready to do what is needed to work with your administration to make sure we can fulfill our mutual goals.

Congratulations once again Mr. President-Elect, and we look forward to working with you to win the fight against climate change.