Two new reports say some of California's most treasured parks are under threat from disease caused by pollution and climate change.
The four national parks with the highest ozone levels are all in California, with Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park having air that is unsafe to breathe, according to a recent report by the National Park Conservation Association, an independent advocacy group. It is said to be at the top of the list of parks suffering from this problem. .
Meanwhile, severe wildfires, drought and rising sea levels have devastated state parks that cover nearly a quarter of California's coastline, according to a separate report from the California State Parks Foundation, another advocacy group. .
Ulla Reeves, interim director of NPCA's Clean Air Program, called California's performance on the Polluted Parks report “disappointing.”
Joshua Tree National Park ranks second as the park with the most ozone pollution, followed by Mojave National Preserve and Yosemite National Park, respectively.
Death Valley National Park is number 6 on the list, just below Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
“It's no surprise that air pollution is a problem in California. I think people know that,” Reeves said of her home state. “But we can see that the sequoias and the Joshua trees and all these places are actually experiencing tremendous air pollution and climate threats.”
Giant sequoias and jagged Joshua trees are among millions of trees dying across the state due to worsening wildfires, severe drought, extreme heat, disease and other stressors intensified by global warming. That's one.
California has many sources of pollution that leak into natural areas because greenhouse gases do not respect park boundaries. These sources include densely populated areas that rely on cars, such as Los Angeles. Agricultural and industrial operations in the San Joaquin Valley. Inland Empire trucking and warehousing facilities. and the ever-busy port facilities in Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The report evaluated nearly 400 parks based on three main air quality categories: unhealthy air, harm to nature, and cloudy skies. The report also looked at four major climate change threats affecting the park: wildfires, drought, sea level rise and invasive species.
The report used publicly available National Park Service data but had not been vetted by Park Service officials, an agency spokeswoman said.
Sasha Travaglio, volunteer program coordinator for Joshua Tree National Park, said in a statement that the agency monitors air quality to understand pollutants impacting the park and is working with government agencies on regulations. Stated.
This report has some hopeful findings and updates a 2019 report of the same name.
Several indicators of air quality improved over time, with the number of parks with a critical level of concern for at least one air quality condition decreasing from 96% to 70%.
Levels of serious concern about unhealthy air fell by 52%, and hazy skies plummeted by 94%. The report attributes this to the implementation of several clean air regulations.
However, a recent report found that 97% of national parks still have significant or insufficient levels of concern from air pollution. And California hasn't seen the same improvements as other regions.
The Golden State has four national parks with the haziest skies, with neighboring Sequoia and Kings Canyon once again taking the ignominious top spot. Death Valley, Pinnacles and Channel Islands National Park also made the top 10 list.
The report also found that 57% of national parks have serious concerns related to climate change.
Invasive species have been identified as the main climate threat facing national parks across the United States, but California parks are disproportionately exposed to wildfire risk, making them the second-largest threat.
As of 2022, half of the state's 20 largest fires occurred in the past five years. Approximately 4% of the state was on fire in 2020 alone, making it the worst fire season on record. Both national and state parks paid the price.
Last year's York Fire destroyed countless Joshua trees in the Mojave National Preserve, in addition to the Joshua trees burned in the 2020 Dome Fire, and parts of the preserve were reduced to “Joshua” trees, according to the park. It became a graveyard of tree skeletons. service. Another fire in Arthur B. Ripley Desert Forest State Park in 2020 wiped out many of the desert's iconic trees.
Three severe wildfires in 2020-2021 killed 19% of all giant sequoias in a limited area of the Sierra Nevada, including parts of Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest. It is estimated that Sequoias need fire to reproduce, but recent blazes have been deadly to trees already weakened by drought and bark beetles.
Many ancient sequoias were destroyed in the 2020 fires that destroyed 97% of the oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, according to a report from the State Parks Foundation.
Compared to the 2019 Contaminated Parks Report, there was no improvement in the category of damage to nature. This assessment is based on the levels of sulfur and nitrogen that enter the soil and water, and the effects of ozone pollution on trees and plants.
In the category of hazards to nature, 69% met the criteria for serious concern, with nitrogen deposition playing a major role. Nitrogen and sulfur washed from the sky by precipitation can contaminate soil and water. High concentrations of nitrogen can cause algae blooms and kill fish, the report said.
Reeves said the report provides a new perspective on understanding how climate change and air pollution are wreaking havoc on the world. “Because not only are our communities and people facing these issues, but it's a place we love and want to protect.”
She said she hoped the report's dire findings would motivate people to do more to protect national parks for future generations.
The report's recommendations include finalizing new vehicle emissions standards and establishing air quality standards, particularly for ozone and particulate matter, to protect landscapes and nature.
The report also recommends amending regulations aimed at improving visibility in national parks across the country, known as regional haze rules, to address deficiencies and hold polluters accountable for negative impacts on parks. ing.
Rachel Norton, executive director of the California State Parks Foundation, argued that state parks can provide a solution to the problem of climate change.
California State Parks, the agency that oversees the state park system, manages a staggering 1.6 million acres of land. Norton described parks as “a lever that the state actually has full control over.”
California can't pass laws governing national parks, but it can make budget decisions for its own parks, she said. In a recent report, the State Parks Foundation advocates for tens of millions of dollars to be spent in parks to combat wildfires and sea level rise, as well as the hiring of full-time staff to work on climate change-related efforts.
“So, what if? [the state] If we choose not to invest and do not see these places as essential and important to the success of our climate goals, we may fail,” she said. “And that's kind of unthinkable.”
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