U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION AGENCY

Office of Policy (2171)

401 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20460

Printed on Recycled Paper

Climate

Change and

PUBLIC

LANDS National Parks At Risk

Climate

Change and

PUBLIC

LANDS National Parks At Risk

WHAT CAN YOU DO? ■ Inform yourself and others. For more 

information on climate change and 

national parks, visit EPA’s website 

at www.epa.gov/globalwarming; 

and click on “impacts.” Or call EPA’s National Service Center for 

Environmental Publications (NSCEP)

at 1-800-490-9198 and ask for 

information on climate change and 

how it affects wildlife, forestry, and/or

sea level rise.

■ Encourage more research. If you work for an organization that carries out related scientific studies, suggest 

including a climate change component 

to the research.

■ Reduce greenhouse gases. Use a more 

fuel-efficient (or non-motorized) mode of transportation. Carpool. Purchase 

electronic devices and appliances with the

ENERGY STAR® label. Plant trees

.

United States EPA-236-F-99-004

Environmental Protection

Agency May 1999

Office of Policy (2171)

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS Thousands of scientists predict

that the earth’s climate will

change because human activities

are altering the chemical composi-

tion of the atmosphere through

the buildup of greenhouse gases.

The heat-trapping property of such

gases as carbon dioxide, methane,

nitrous oxide, and chloroflurocar-

bons is undisputed. Greenhouse

gases are released into the atmos-

phere in large quantities by

motorized vehicles, utilities, facto-

ries, appliances, and landfills. 

Although there is uncertainty

about exactly how and when the

earth’s climate will respond to

higher concentrations of green-

house gases, observations indi-

cate that detectable changes are

underway. Temperatures will

most likely rise by an average of

2 to 6 ̊F over the next century,

along with measurable changes

in precipitation, soil moisture,

and sea level. All of these

changes could have adverse

effects on many ecological sys-

tems, as well as on human

health and the economy. 
CLIMATE CHANGE AND WILDLIFE

America’s national parks were established to preserve valuable natural

resources while providing environmentally diverse settings for recreation.

They were intended for use by

Americans of all generations to come.

But these natural treasures may be at

risk from global climate change if we

do nothing to address the problem.

Other public lands, such as national

seashores, national forests, wildlife

refuges, and Bureau of Land

Management lands also could be

affected.

Global warming could have numerous

impacts on wildlife and their habitat

on public lands and the waters that

flow through those lands. Many inland

freshwater rivers, lakes, and streams

may become too warm for the fish and

other aquatic species that currently

inhabit them. 

Climate change also may contribute

to a loss of wetlands, beaches, and

other habitat. As the oceans warm,

the sea level rises and erosion of

beaches and wetlands during storms

increases. Such national park units as

Padre Island, Assateague Island, Fire

Island, Cape Hatteras, and Cape Cod

could be affected by sea level rise. 

States in coastal areas that cannot

enact land use planning may find

that wetlands and other coastal

ecosystems cannot migrate inland as

the sea rises. Critical wetlands in

wildlife refuges and other public

lands could be lost as a result. 

Reductions in tundra and related

ecosystems also would mean the loss

of mammal and migratory waterfowl

habitats. In addition, Alaska’s native

Coho, sockeye, and chinook salmon

found in Glacier Bay, Katmai, and

Wrangell-St. Elias national parks may

be affected by the warming of lakes

and rivers.

Saltwater already has intruded 5 miles

into Everglades National Park from

Florida Bay. Increased salinity resulting

from sea level rise could damage freshwater ecosystems in the Everglades

that provide important habitat for

birds, fish, and other wildlife.

Freshwater wetlands such as sawgrass,

slough, and wet prairie, which are

important foraging habitat for wading

birds and other wildlife, would

decrease in area. These habitat

changes could increase pressures on

endangered species such as the Florida

panther, Key deer, American crocodile,

and the Everglades mink. 

Without the promise of a stable climate,

the history, heritage, wilderness, and

beauty preserved by America’s public

lands are at risk. Climate change could

increase the possibility of drought and

thus kill the whitebark pines, a source

of edible nuts for grizzlies in

Yellowstone Park. Fires and flooding

also could change the composition of

Yellowstone and many other of our

nation’s celebrated landscapes.

CLIMATE CHANGE: PUBLIC LANDS AT RISK

Glacier National Park is located in a

pristine mountainous area in northwestern Montana. The park provides

habitat for an abundance of wildlife,

including the densest population of

grizzly bears (a threatened species) in

the United States. Climate change

could have a serious impact on this

national park. Today, the park has

approximately 50 glaciers, down from

an estimated 150 in 1850. The recession of Sperry Glacier illustrates the

impact of recent warming temperatures.

If warming trends continue, it is estimated that the park will have no glaciers by 2030. Without glaciers, stream

temperatures are expected to rise.

Higher water temperatures could affect

aquatic ecosystems, especially trout

species. Climate change also could alter

the types of trees found in the park.

Alaska’s pristine ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate change

since warming is projected to be

greater at higher latitudes than in

other parts of the world. With sufficient increases in temperature, tundra

ecosystems are expected to decline

significantly. Melting permafrost in

Alaska’s ruggedly beautiful Denali

National Park could jeopardize essential habitats for caribou herds. Melting

permafrost also affects freshwater wetland habitats and may lead to

increased landslides and erosion. It

may clog spawning rivers with silt and

trigger the loss of some boreal forests.