Joshua trees are dying from both rising temperatures and wildfires. But because so many national parks are at high elevations, in the arid Southwest or in the Arctic, they are being disproportionately affected by global warming. A 2018 study found that temperatures in national parks are rising at twice the rate as the country as a whole. “Every single one of our more than 400 national parks are suffering,” said Stephanie Kodish, the director of the climate change program at the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit and nonpartisan advocacy group. “We are literally making a choice to wipe out these things that are gems of our world, that are gifts for us to pass down,” she said.

Source: New York Times June 16, 2022 05:08 UTC