San Francisco, CA - The nation's leading park advocacy group, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), today called global climate change an "unnatural disaster" for national parks in California and across the country, asking Congress and the Administration to take action now, and follow Governor Schwarzenegger's lead, before the centennial of the National Park System in 2016.
"Global warming is going to make California's national parks hotter and more polluted," said NPCA Pacific Regional Director Ron Sundergill. "Governor Schwarzenegger has done an outstanding job leading the charge against climate change. But temperatures are going to continue rising for the next several decades, and that means more ozone pollution, so California must address both problems," said Sundergill. Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite National Parks all have ozone levels higher than allowed by the EPA's health standards.
NPCA's new report, "Unnatural Disaster: Global Warming and Our National Parks", comes as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers the keynote address at the Florida Climate Change Summit on July 13, hosted by the governor of Florida.
The report warns that if Congress and the Administration do not take action now to slow or halt global climate change, warmer temperatures will worsen ground-level ozone problems in Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Increasing wildfires will contribute more smoke and airborne particulates. These combined changes will reduce the number of days when people can safely hike in the parks, especially those with asthma and other respiratory problems.
In Yosemite, warming and drought have made the wildfire season longer and more damaging, and have increased insect damage. Species that were formerly common at altitudes as low as 7,800 feet in the Yosemite area are now found only above 9,500 feet, while other species that were once plentiful in Yosemite in the early 1900s are now uncommon, and their ranges have shrunk significantly.
"States like California, local governments, and even the National Park Service are pursuing innovative strategies to address the threat of climate change," added Sundergill. "Our federal government should follow their lead and take action now to preserve our national heritage."
NPCA recommends that the federal government dramatically cut pollution from coal-fired power plants, the leading industrial emitters of greenhouse gases. California must take more comprehensive steps to improve air quality and reduce vehicle emissions.
NPCA's report is available online at www.npca.org/globalwarming
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