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National Parks Conservation Association Highlights Alarming Effects of Climate Change, Challenges Congress and White House to Take Action

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The nation’s leading park advocacy group, the National Parks Conservation Association today called global warming an “unnatural disaster” for national parks in North Carolina and across the country, and called on Congress and the Administration to take action now before the centennial of the National Park System.

“North Carolina’s national parks are wonders of our park system, offering economic benefits, recreational opportunities, and irreplaceable memories for local residents,” said National Parks Conservation Association Blue Ridge Senior Program Manager Greg Kidd. “We all have a responsibility to do all we can to protect them.”

The National Parks Conservation Association's new report, Unnatural Disaster: Global Warming and Our National Parks, warns that if Congress and the Administration do not take action now to slow or halt global warming, the Blue Ridge Parkway will see more “code red” days; portions of the Appalachian Trail could be washed out, and Cape Hatteras’ famous lighthouse may need to be moved again or risk being washed away. The report also warns that sea level rise, increasing storm strength, and flooding threaten low-lying historic areas along North Carolina’s outer banks, such as the earthen fort at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Rising temperatures may upset the natural ecosystem of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth.

“Global warming is a hazard to our national parks, and will cause irreversible damage if Congress and the Administration don’t put the brakes on dirty coal-fired power plants and other polluters now,” said National Parks Conservation Association President Tom Kiernan. But instead of curbing the pollutants that contribute to global warming, the Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed a rule change to allow coal-fired power plants to emit more pollution into our national parks. The National Parks Conservation Association is urging the agency to abandon the proposal.

“Congress and the Administration should take action now to preserve our national heritage,” Kiernan added. “We have less than 10 years until the 100th birthday of our National Park System—now is the time for action. Taking care of our national parks should be a national priority.”