© Mark Rose | NPCA
Over the past few decades, rules set in place to protect the air quality in our national parks have helped to deliver cleaner air and better views. Yet, air pollution is one of the most serious threats facing our parks and dirty air continues to harm national park visitors’ health, rob visitors of scenic views and alter our climate. The solutions needed to resolve each of these problems are largely the same – we must clean up polluting fossil fuel plants, industrial facilities and vehicles. With your voice, we can make a difference and achieve cleaner air and a healthier climate.
The air pollution affecting national parks — and the rest of the country — results from the burning of fossil fuels by power plants, oil and gas development, and vehicles, and the release of emissions from industrial facilities like pulp and paper mills, plastics or cement manufacturing. National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) works to defend our nation’s air laws to protect our national parks. Through our advocacy, we activate park advocates and communities and seek to hold polluters and our state and federal government agencies accountable to those laws. And we work with you, our park advocates and supporters, to bring your personal stories to light concerning the harm to our parks, climate and communities from pollution.
Defending Laws & Science
The Clean Air Act protects our communities and environment from dirty air pollution. It also has special provisions designed to restore clear, healthy air to our national parks. Yet the need to defend our laws and regulations addressing pollution that continues to harm people and our parks with ozone, smog, haze, and climate change is very real — the administration is actively taking action to weaken, undermine and in some cases, completely erase, critical clean air protections. NPCA staff work hard every day to defend and advocate for stronger requirements for polluting industries and vehicles, and to secure better standards to achieve clean air and a healthy climate.
Holding States, Leaders and Polluters Accountable
Imagine healthy communities and park skies free of pollution. While this sadly is not the case today, NPCA strives to hold states, leaders and polluters accountable for their park-harming pollution that often impacts people of color and low-income communities first and worst. NPCA fights to stop these environmental injustices — seeking to restore clean air to our parks and thwart greater harm from our rapidly changing climate. One of the ways we do this is by challenging weak actions by states and the EPA that fail to secure strong state and federal requirements to limit haze-causing pollution, and by defending sound rules in court, if necessary.
Activating Park Advocates and Communities
People like you are the heartbeat of our work. Without your personal stories about why you value clean air and how you have experienced climate change in the parks you love, and in your community, we would not have the personal connection to why this work matters so much. Maybe your sister has asthma, or your dad has bronchitis; maybe you must make sure you take your inhaler hiking; or maybe you’ve visited a park and not been able to see the stunning views you expected.
Do you live near a polluting coal plant that refuses to clean up its dirty emissions? Is there flaring of methane gas in the county next to you? Can you see the mountains nearby and snap a stunning photo when you go hiking or do you see hazy, muddy skies? Whatever your story or personal connection to the importance of clean air and a healthy climate, your voice is critical to ensuring our efforts are successful. Sign up today to receive our alerts and act on clean air and climate issues!
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