Report: Climate change ‘greatest threat ever’ to national parks

Human disruption of the climate is the greatest threat ever to the USA’s national parks, according to a new report released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization.

The report – National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption – outlined hazards due to rising temperatures in 25 of the country’s 351 national parks. The top risks to the parks include loss of snow and water, rising sea levels, more extreme weather, loss of plants and wildlife, and additional air pollution.

According to the report, the risks of a changed climate dwarf all previous threats to our national parks: “If we continue with high emissions of heat-trapping gases, our nation could be 7 to 11 degrees hotter by the end of the century — and our parks would be drastically changed.”

Full Story: http://blogs.usatoday.com/sciencefair/2009/10/report-climate-change-greatest-threat-ever-to-national-parks.html