Protecting our parks from climate change
All units within the National Park System are vulnerable to climate change, putting park visitors and employees, wildlife and nature, irreplaceable landscapes, historical artifacts and sites, and local communities in jeopardy.
Send CommentNPCA works to protect national parks and communities from the causes and detrimental effects of climate change. From the halls of Congress to the courtroom, we fight to ensure our nation’s bedrock environmental laws are strong and hold polluters and the government accountable to those safeguards. We also advocate for place-based climate policies and best practices that value the needs of vulnerable populations as we seek to ensure our national parks endure.
While national parks are warming at twice the rate as the rest of the country, through swift and comprehensive climate action, we can reverse course and protect our national parks.
NPCA leverages the popularity and unique protections of national parks to mitigate greenhouse gas pollution, advance clean energy solutions and support measures to help natural, cultural and historic parks be more resilient to climate impacts. We do this work alongside partners and local communities, with Congress, and with federal and state agencies.
*The NPCA national poll was conducted online by The Harris Poll January 2022. Learn more at npca.org/parksunite
Advocating for Climate Solutions that Protect Parks and People
NPCA fights to protect our national parks and their climate, air, lands, wildlife and water. We hold polluters and the government accountable to the laws and policies that protect our…
More about Climate Change
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Read more about Protecting our parks from climate change
ActiveAction Protecting our parks from climate change All units within the National Park System are vulnerable to climate change, putting park visitors and employees, wildlife and nature, irreplaceable landscapes, historical artifacts and sites, and local communities in jeopardy.
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Read more about Support Strong Climate Protections
NPCA at Work Support Strong Climate Protections Parks can — and should — be a cornerstone of climate action.
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Read more about NDDEQ Accepts Comments on Plans that Will Impact Visibility at National Parks
Press Release NDDEQ Accepts Comments on Plans that Will Impact Visibility at National Parks State's draft plan fails to reduce pollution, falling short of federal obligations to improve air quality.
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Read more about Clean Air Advocates Share Renewed Concerns about Utah’s Plan to Reduce Haze Pollution
Press Release Clean Air Advocates Share Renewed Concerns about Utah’s Plan to Reduce Haze Pollution Environmental advocates reject Utah's dirty regional haze plan, call for immediate change to protect public lands and public health.
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Read more about New Report Highlights Strategy to Bring Climate Goals Within Reach
Blog Post New Report Highlights Strategy to Bring Climate Goals Within Reach Reducing one high-impact pollutant could offer outsized potential to slow the rise in global temperatures — and NPCA’s advocates have already been speaking out for years about this heat-trapping gas.
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Read more about New Poll Finds National Parks Are Unifying, Bipartisan Issue in West Virginia
Press Release New Poll Finds National Parks Are Unifying, Bipartisan Issue in West Virginia Across party lines, West Virginians support their representatives in Congress taking a strong stand in supporting policies to protect and strengthen national parks.
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Read more about President Biden Proposes to Bring More Staff and Resources Back to Struggling National Parks
Press Release President Biden Proposes to Bring More Staff and Resources Back to Struggling National Parks "This budget would reinvest in our parks and would start to bring them out of the financial hole they’ve been trying to dig out of for over a decade." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA President and CEO
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Read more about National Climate Change Poll
Report National Climate Change Poll A new poll by the National Parks Conservation Association found that national parks offer physical and political solutions for addressing climate change.
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Read more about On Thin Ice
Magazine Article On Thin Ice As the climate warms, Lake Superior’s ice coverage shrinks — and opportunities to visit Apostle Islands’ ice caves and experience other winter rites of passage along the shore are slowly disappearing.
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Read more about Can Parks Bring Us Together on Climate?
Blog Post Can Parks Bring Us Together on Climate? As the president shares his State of the Union address with a bitterly divided Congress, love for our parks is one of the few things they can actually agree on — and still fight for.
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Read more about Parks Group Files Amicus Brief in West Virginia v EPA case
Press Release Parks Group Files Amicus Brief in West Virginia v EPA case Controversial Supreme Court case threatens to dismantle government’s ability to combat climate change, the biggest threat to national parks
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Read more about Conservationists Aim to Protect Famed Ghost Orchids Under Endangered Species Act
Press Release Conservationists Aim to Protect Famed Ghost Orchids Under Endangered Species Act Poaching, climate change, loss and modification of habitat and direct threats to the ecosystem — even in protected areas like Big Cypress National Preserve — could spell disaster for the species.
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Read more about Parks Group Mourns Dr. Tom Lovejoy, Conservationist and Friend
Press Release Parks Group Mourns Dr. Tom Lovejoy, Conservationist and Friend Tom viewed parks and protected areas as essential components of a sustainable future. Not just for fauna and flora, but for humanity.
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Read more about Climate Change at Northeast Coastal National Parks
Fact Sheet Climate Change at Northeast Coastal National Parks National parks along the north Atlantic Coast are at the forefront of climate change. As sea levels rise, seasons shift and unpredictable weather bring more frequent and severe storms, our treasured coastal national parks offer some of the best solutions for combating today’s climate threats.
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Read more about Marine Programs in the Sun Coast Region
Resource Marine Programs in the Sun Coast Region NPCA’s Sun Coast Region approaches our marine work with an eye toward ecosystem conservation, restoration and resilience. We work strategically to identify, assess and proactively address the evolving threats to marine ecosystems and all species and resources within them.
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Read more about Climate Change and Florida’s National Parks
Resource Climate Change and Florida’s National Parks Florida is among the most climate change-threatened states in the United States. Florida’s treasured national parks—spanning the Greater Everglades ecosystem northward into Gulf Islands National Seashore and beyond—are being impacted by our changing climate.
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Read more about Sustaining Indiana Beaches
Resource Sustaining Indiana Beaches The scenic beaches of Indiana Dunes are disappearing. In order to sustain this critical asset to Indiana’s economy and quality of life, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must conduct a federal damage mitigation feasibility study.
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Read more about Climate Change and Our National Parks
See a Map Climate Change and Our National Parks See an interactive map highlighting some of the national parks facing the effects of climate change.
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Read more about Forward, Not Backward
Fact Sheet Forward, Not Backward Climate change is the greatest threat facing our national parks and people across the world. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking strident measures to strip the U.S. of necessary rules to curb climate pollution.
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Read more about 10 Ways to Be a Park Advocate
Resource 10 Ways to Be a Park Advocate Want to be an advocate for parks, but don't know where to start?
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Read more about Our National Parks and a Changing Climate
Resource Our National Parks and a Changing Climate How NPCA and its supporters are working to address climate change.
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Read more about Climate march posters
Resource Climate march posters You can print these posters to show your support for national parks in a changing climate.
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Read more about Wolves at Isle Royale: Background Materials
Resource Wolves at Isle Royale: Background Materials Right now there are only two wolves left on Isle Royale, the lowest population at the park in over 50 years.
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