We asked NPCA for an update on their work and here is what they had to share:
“Climate change threatens our national park system like nothing in its nearly century of existence –park glaciers are melting, forests are burning, waters are drying up, coastlines are disappearing, and plants, fish, and wildlife are struggling to cope with a climate that is changing faster than their ability to adapt.
With the support of Climate Riders National Parks Conservation Association is able to focus both on reducing the pollution that causes climate change and helping national park ecosystems become more resilient and better able to withstand climate-driven changes that are already underway.
NPCA leads a national coalition that is forcing antiquated coal-fired power plants that have polluted our parks for decades to reduce their emissions, switch to cleaner power, or shut down. Already our work has reduced millions of tons of CO2 from the power sector.
As climate change puts more pressure on park wildlife, NPCA is working to ensure that iconic species like bison, pronghorn antelope, wild salmon, and grizzly bears have access to habitat sufficient to sustain them, and that they can move more freely between protected lands – something that becomes more important as their habitats shift.
As we focus on reconnecting protected lands, NPCA remains ever vigilant to inappropriate development that threatens to further fragment our last remaining natural landscapes. We are currently working in the Four Corners region, the California desert, outside Glacier National Park, and in the upper Delaware River region to ensure that massive new energy development like oil and gas ‘fracking’ and even some industrial scale renewable energy projects do not fundamentally degrade our national park landscapes.”
Climate Ride is on track to donate $650,000 to NPCA and our growing network of 100+ beneficiaries in 2014. You can help Climate Ride create more events, grow our grants program, and increase our impact by donating to the Annual Fund.