"U.S. National Parks Vulnerable as Planet Heats Up"

"DENVER -- 'Climate disruption is the greatest threat ever to America's national parks,' warns Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and principal author of a new report released Thursday that identifies the 25 U.S. national parks, lakeshores, seashores and monuments most at risk of global warming.

Severe impacts of climate change include loss of snow and water, the report states. Another impact of the warming climate is too much water as rising seas flood coastal parks and extreme storms bring torrential rains. Parks also stand to lose plants and animals as their preferred habitats disappear.

The report, 'National Parks in Peril,' by Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council, follows the introduction of clean energy and climate legislation in the U.S. Senate earlier this week. The House of Representatives passed its climate bill in June."

Environment News Service had the story October 2, 2009.