Hey there Sunshine! Welcome back to Save Our Happy Place, your weekly pop of environmental and climate activism. Congratulations! We’ve made it through the grueling winter and can now bask in the glory of the Spring Solstice and all of its promises. Not only do petals open up this time of year, but also our favorite natural places start beckoning us to enjoy and connect with nature.

In celebration of spring, this week we are discussing our beloved national parks, what role they play in protecting us from the climate crisis, and how you can help protect them for future generations.

More than Just a Pretty View

National Parks and Their Ability to Ward Off Climate Change

When you think about national parks, the stunning landscape of the Grand Canyon may come to mind or a wild and adventurous vacation filled with fresh air, rays of sunshine, and animal sightings. In fact, these destinatinons are so renowned that 300 million visitors from around the world visit the U.S. National Parks’ diverse array of ecosystems, from deserts to swamps, comprised of 63 parks covering 85 million acres and home to 600 protected and/or endangered species, every year.

But let me assure you, the parks are more than just a pretty view. They are climate change combating meccas, but they can’t do it on their own. We all have to try to defend and expand our protected lands worldwide.

How are National Parks Fighting the Climate Crisis?

U.S. National Parks sequester an estimated average of 3.5 million metrics tons of CO2 per year. This is an estimated $141 million savings in carbon damage annually.

Carbon Sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide with the goal of reducing global climate change. Some of the most powerful, natural carbon sequesters are trees, soil, and ocean plants.

Aside from carbon sequestration, urban tree canopy in parks and along city streets are estimated to remove 711,000 metric tons of air pollution annually. Parks are also able to minimize flooding and improve water quality through the incorporation of green infrastructure that reduces storm runoff and filters it for pollutants.

Not to mention that designating protected land reduces deforestation by 41% in comparison to unprotected land.

How the National Parks are Affected by Climate Change

Nearly one-third of all protected areas are actually under intense human pressure. With the current rate of climate change, we can anticipate a 31% decrease in carbon sequestration from the parks by 2050 due to warming climate temperatures, invasive species, and increased fire hazards. Some other effects we are already seeing are:

• Decreased air quality- The Smoky Mountains have seen an 80% decrease in invisibility.

• Loss of ice including glaciers, snowpack, and water due to increased temperatures. Glacier National Park's glaciers have lost as much as 80% of their size.

• Strong storms and flooding in coastal parks like the Everglades.

• Decrease in wildlife populations.

The continued and expanded protection of woodlands is top of mind for combating climate change. Unfortunately, a study suggests that only 6.5% of the Earth’s woodlands are truly protected, well below the 2020 target of 17% set by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. In the U.S. specifically, Biden signed an executive order, calling to increase the protected land in the U.S. from 12% to 30%.

National Parks are Faced with Avoidable Risks

Despite being federally protected land, our U.S. National Parks are under constant siege by oil companies (534 active oil and gas wells in parks), highway projects, water contamination, and a myriad of other pollutants. Just because something destructive isn’t happening directly within the park does not mean that the parks will not be affected. If climate change has taught us anything, it is how inextricably connected we all are - to each other, to the land, the other animals, the air, and the water. Each of these elements needs harmony and balance to thrive.

Taking time to honor, celebrate and protect our national parks is a simple, fun, and enriching way to combat climate change. You can become a national parks member, visit a park for your next vacation, or take one of the three climate actions below.

Protect Our Happy Places

Take three minutes today to help protect National Parks!

Protect Alaska's Parks from Destructive Mining

• What? Send an email to Congress demanding they protect Alaska’s parks from destructive mining.

• Why? The proposed Pebble Mine, with its open pits, massive mining district, and network of roads, would industrialize the pristine Bristol Bay watershed, including Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks & Preserves, and introduce catastrophic risks.

• How? Click link to send email. (Estimated 1 Minute)

Send Email

Protect parks from oil & gas developments

• What? Send a message now and ask Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to ensure that her department understands the full climate impact of any future oil and gas projects before allowing them to proceed.

• Why? A new government report shows how oil and gas drilling has been prioritized at the expense of protections for parks, communities and our climate.

• How? Click link to send email. (Estimated 1 Minute)

Send Email

Help Make National Parks Plastic-Free

• What? Tell your congressional representatives to ban single-use plastic water bottles from national parks.

• Why? In 2011 the National Park Service stopped selling single-use plastic water bottles and saved 2 million bottles a year! This one simple policy kept nearly 112,000 pounds of plastic from being sold and prevented 141 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The previous administration lifted this simple and effective policy and it is time to put it back.

• How? Click link to send email. (Estimated 1 Minute)

Send Letter

Some Rays of Sunshine

The Headlines We’re Happy to See

• Mountain Valley Pipeline loses permit to cross through Jefferson National Forest. - Read More

• $1.1 Billion allocated to Everglades restoration in Florida. - Read More

• Los Angeles will phase out oil drilling. - Read More

• Mining Leases Near the Boundary Waters wilderness in Minnesota. - Read More

• Coal units to be swapped for renewables in Indiana. - Read More

• Court revokes largest-ever U.S. offshore oil lease. - Read More