Sacred Ground

How Climate Change is Devastating America’s National Parks

by Free Greenman


Select Format

Softcover
£11.95
Softcover
£11.95

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 10/01/2019

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 5x8
Page Count : 204
ISBN : 9781982219444

About the Book

When I visit national parks today, I see places of divinity in peril where catastrophic changes are happening at rapid-fire speed on a grand scale, where millions of years of evolution are being trifled with casually rather like an accidental splitting of atoms. I find myself wondering a lot lately when we will hear the irreversible boom, the moment we recognize our own death, the flash we see when we realize what we’ve done can’t be taken back. In short, America’s national parks are facing cataclysmic change. Much of that change, which is occurring on an ecosystem level, is perpetrated by our rapidly changing climate. What’s unique about our changing climate today is that the speed of change has accelerated to a startling degree. During the retreating ice age of twenty thousand to ten thousand years ago, temperatures soared about 9 degrees Fahrenheit in a ten-thousand-year stretch, exhibiting a seemingly rapid yet natural shift in climate. By comparison, the climatic changes unfurling on earth now are happening about thirty times faster—leaving wildlife, plants, butterflies, krill, and migrating birds scrambling to adjust. It is this very speed and ferocity of change that has scientists gravely concerned, for it is anything but natural. Though I am concerned about the changes happening in our natural world, the biggest losers in the climate change travesty that is unfolding all around us will likely be ourselves. Species that cannot adjust or evolve will be shaken off this planet like a cloud of irritating fleas so energy systems can rebalance, restoring harmony to God’s creation. Saving ourselves, along with our most sacred landscapes, will require action. We are the generation that can become the hope and light of the world but to save these unique ecosystems, we must lower our carbon dioxide emissions now.


About the Author

Saddled with a 65 pound pack, Free has explored the wilds of some of America’s most sacred places. These adventures fueled a personal healing journey while allowing her to investigate the health of America’s National Parks. Though she survived her own life challenges, the message she bears regarding the health of our parks is startling. Our changing climate has placed the vitality of our most sacred landscapes at dire risk. Change is required if America’s Best Idea is to survive.