Air pollution has damaged many parks - and it could get much worse

1 in 3 U.S. National Parks Polluted

"Air pollution threatens the very essence of what Americans value most about our national parks," said Wenzler. "Pollution destroys habitat for plants and animals, endangers the health of park visitors and staff, damages the symbols of our nation's heritage, and clouds once-majestic horizons in our national parks. The good news is we don't have to sacrifice our national treasures to meet our growing energy demands."

NPCA's report offers ten recommendations for cleaning the air in the national parks:

1. Finish the job of cleaning up outdated power plants
2. Require new power plants to use the lowest polluting technologies
3. Protect wildlife by limiting the amount of air pollution deposited in the parks
4. Ensure that legal limits on park air pollution are not exceeded
5. Eliminate toxic "hot spots" by enacting stronger power plant mercury controls
6. Address climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions
7. Expand programs to monitor and reduce air pollution in the parks
8. Promote clean, renewable domestic energy supplies
9. Fully fund the National Park System
10. Encourage concerned citizens to minimize their contribution to air pollution in the parks

Will we continue to protect against air pollution threats to the habitats, health, heritage and horizons of our national parks? Or will we fail to save them for future generations? Read Turning Point to find out!