At first glance, it seems unlikely that melting glaciers in Montana, burning trees in California, and eroding sand dunes in Indiana would have the same underlying cause.
But all of those events are being driven by one major trend: increased average temperatures.
What's happening?
National parks around the country are suffering due to the direct effects of our planet overheating. From the loss of natural features to the destruction of wildlife habitats, it causes widespread damage — and the damage is increasing.
Glaciers, such as the one in Montana's aptly named Glacier National Park, are melting at a rate that has accelerated significantly over the last decade due to human-driven global heating. Similarly, rising sea levels are on track to "inundate" half of Everglades National Park.
The planet's warming has also created conditions that bolster wildfires. In places like Yosemite National Park, wildfires are burning on swaths of land nearly double the size of previous years.
"We're already seeing transformational impacts of anthropogenic climate change throughout parks," says John Gross, a National Park Service ecologist. "It's certainly possible that the parks could lose the iconic feature[s] for which they've been named."
Why is this so concerning?
On a base level, the irretrievable loss of these features is a devastating emotional blow. More than 325 million people visit America's National Parks each year to admire nature — an activity that has been shown to improve mental health.
These losses are particularly gut-wrenching for Native Americans, whose ties to the land are rooted in spiritual beliefs. Montana's Blackfeet Nation views the glaciers as sacred birthplaces and the source of all life.
"We were placed here in this area because of that water," says Termaine Edmo, the Blackfeet Nation climate change coordinator.
Additionally, the degradation of the parks will intensify the ongoing biodiversity crisis. According to the United Nations, biodiversity "forms the web of life that we depend on for so many things — food, water, medicine, a stable climate, economic growth, among others."
It's true: More than half the global GDP relies on nature. But in places like Sequoia National Park, where hot and dry environments are increasing the intensity of wildfires, biodiversity is plummeting instead.
What's being done to preserve National Parks?
Some parks are implementing previously unheard-of measures to maintain a semblance of ecological stability. In Indiana, for example, the sand in the rapidly eroding dunes at Indiana Dunes National Park is replenished each year by large trucks. They haul in 80,000 tons of sand to fill in the beaches.
"Our goal is to minimize the impact as much as possible," says NPS geologist Erin Argyilan. Nevertheless, she also admits that this solution amounts to little more than a "Band-Aid."
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