Conservation & Climate Change
Land management, particularly in the form of conservation and protected areas, is often called on as a key component of climate mitigation strategies. Forests, wetlands, peatlands and soil can all act as incredible carbon sinks. Scientists estimate that global protected areas sequester approximately 500 million metric tons of carbon annually, or roughly ⅕ of carbon sequestered by land ecosystems.
While these lands may play an enormous role in staying below 2.0 degrees celsius, climate change is threatening their very existence. A 2018 study showed that temperature increases in national parks were double that of other areas and precipitation rates dropped significantly. This is partially because national parks are located in areas more vulnerable to climatic change: 63% of national park area is located in Alaska. But even in protected lands in the Lower 48, climate change is shifting the landscapes and altering the ecosystems of the National Parks.
The Everglades are threatened by rising sea levels, increased salinization and changes in temperatures. These climatic changes are leading to the disappearance of birds, orchids, and other species, as well as the retreat of mangrove forests. Droughts and increased temperatures are further threatening seagrass population, shifting the entire structure of the ecosystem. At the same time, Glacier National Park is losing its glaciers and the famed Joshua Tree, “an international symbol of the American desert” is predicted to disappear entirely from Joshua Tree National Park by 2100. While Joshua Tree is losing its namesake, Smoky Mountains National Park and Death Valley are living up to theirs. In 2016, wildfires burned for two weeks in Smoky Mountains National Park, destroying 10,000 acres, killing 14 people and devastating scores of habitats. In 2018, Death Valley recorded the hottest month on Earth, ever.
As highlighted throughout this project, harnessing conservation as a mitigation strategy against climate change has and continues to lead towards an immense number of injustices. A path forward must include indigenous land management and the end of fossil fuel extraction from public lands. It also calls on environmental stewards to rethink the role of capitalists as conservationists and leverage policies that transbound disciplines, agencies, and borders. As the landscapes of these lands alter as the climate changes so must the process of conservation.
All images are from the National Parks 2050 collection by Hannah Rothstein