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EPA no longer updates EPA's Global Warming Site, but is maintaining this archive for historical purposes. Please see EPA's Climate Change site for current information on climate change and global warming.
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Mt. Rainier National ParkThe size of glaciers on Mount Rainier has fluctuated significantly over time. For example, during the last ice age, from about 25,000 to about 15,000 years ago, glaciers covered most of the area now within the boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park and extended to the perimeter of the present Puget Sound Basin. The glaciers retreated after the last ice age, but advanced again between the 14th century and 1850.
From 1850 to 1920, the mountain's glaciers gradually retreated, with the melting accelerating after 1920. Many of the major glaciers advanced again from the 1950s through the early 1980s in response to relatively cooler temperatures and high snowfalls in the region. Since the early 1980s, many glaciers in the park have been thinning and retreating again. How they will fare in the future depends on regional changes in climate, which may be affected by global warming.
Searching for Solutions"We should be thinking in terms of what will be here for the 22nd century and the 23rd. We will have dishonored our legacy if we are not prepared to protect it, preserve it, and pass it on to succeeding generations."
- Robert G. Stanton, Director
National Park Service
August 12, 1999 |
To address the threat of global warming, governments and organizations in the states that contain the national parks of the western mountains and plains could improve the health and resiliency of natural ecosystems, prepare for a changing climate, and work to limit future global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Conservation biologists note that, in most cases, park boundaries cannot be expanded to continue protecting species that leave the area as the climate changes. They recommend that governments and nonprofit agencies establish wildlife habitat corridors to connect parks with other protected habitats for plants and wildlife. Corridors could be designed to allow protected species to shift their range if their habitat changes.
If personnel in parks and other protected areas worked with scientists to come up with long-term management plans and strategies, then together they could mitigate the future impacts of global warming in protected areas. Efforts to control invasive non-native plants and animals, prescribed burning programs that help prevent devastating conflagrations in times of drought, and programs to monitor species and habitats at risk are examples of methods parks could employ to continue to protect their resources as the climate changes. The additional stresses posed by climate change must be considered and managed in the context of existing environmental impacts and changes.
Slowing Climate ChangeToday, action is occurring at every level to reduce, avoid, and better understand the risks associated with global warming. Many cities and states across the country have prepared greenhouse gas inventories, and many are pursuing programs and policies that will result in reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
At the national level, the federal government is working in partnership with businesses, states, and localities to address global warming while also strengthening the economy. In addition, the U.S. Global Change Research Program coordinates the world's most extensive research effort on climate change.
For More InformationThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Global Warming Site includes detailed information on climate change, impacts, and actions.
Diagrams showing how Glacier National Park's Sperry, Grinnell, and Swiftcurrent  glaciers have receded over time are available on the web.
EPA's state-specific climate change fact sheets include information on potential impacts in the western mountains and plains states.
The latest U.S. National Assessment of Climate Variability and Change gives a detailed report on the potential effects of global warming in the United States.
Animation illustrating the projected impact of climate change in Glacier National Park to the year 2100.
What People Can DoWe all add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere whenever we use energy from fossil fuels. Residential energy use accounted for 19 percent of overall CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels in 1997, and motor vehicle use accounted for approximately 20 percent. Here are a few actions that people can take to reduce their emissions.
- Use mass transit, carpool with friends, or ride a bike whenever possible.
- When it's time to replace the family vehicle, consider one that gets more miles per gallon than your present vehicle.
- When it's time to replace an appliance, look for the Energy Star® label identifying energy-efficient models.
- When buying or building a new house, an Energy Star model gives greater quality and comfort as well as lower monthly costs. For more information, go to the Energy Star Homes web site.
- Buy products that feature reusable, recyclable, or reduced packaging to save the energy required to manufacture new containers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.
- Encourage your company to join EPA programs such as Energy Star BuildingsSM and Waste Wi$e recycling programs, and to buy office equipment with the Energy Star label.
- Plant trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
- Educate others. Let friends and family know about these practical, energy-saving steps they can take to save money while protecting the environment.
- Encourage scientific research and public discussion on global warming and solutions such as energy efficiency and alternative energy.
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