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Report Issued On Global Warming And National Parks

The non-profit National Parks Conservation Association has issued a new report on the serious impacts of global warming on the national parks. It also recommends a number of actions that can be taken to ameliorate these impacts. The following summary was extracted from NPCA's web page on the report:

The report, entitled Unnatural Disaster: Global Warming and Our National Parks, recommends federal, state, local, and individual action, warning that if steps are not taken to slow or halt climate change, Yosemite and other western parks will see more wildfires, the Blue Ridge Parkway will see more 'code red' days, and Cape Hatteras' famous lighthouse will have to be moved again before it washes away.

The gradual, accelerated warming of our planet will have disastrous consequences for America's national parks. Glaciers in the national parks of Alaska as well as North Cascades and Mount Rainier National Parks will continue to disappear; Joshua trees will no longer exist at Joshua Tree National Park; and a rising sea will drown Everglades National Park and portions of historic sites such as Colonial National Historical Park, site of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown.

But all is not lost. Although the situation seems dire, NPCA's report, Unnatural Disaster, says we can still halt the most severe effects of climate change if we take action now. NPCA offers recommended actions for federal, state, and local governments, along with individuals, to take to slow, and in some cases, halt the damage to our national parks. The national parks offer a unique opportunity to draw attention to America's priceless resources at risk, and to showcase opportunities to act to protect them.

Source: NPS