Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most beautiful and unique places on earth. But, according to a new report, the area is full of smog and haze.
The report, released Tuesday, gave a failing grade to Joshua Tree and 3 other California national parks. Via LA Times:
The report by the National Parks Conservation Assn. flunked four national parks in California — Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite — giving them F grades for having levels of ozone that are unhealthy for visitors during the busy summer season.
The report looked at each park and its levels of haze and ozone (a lung-damaging pollutant in smog) and how global warming and shifts in precipitation affects it. The pollutants are not just bad for breathing, they decrease an area’s visibility – which is something one would want in a scenic national park.
The U.S. government does have regulations in place to try to restore natural visibility in the parks by 2064 – but the report claims that for Joshua Tree, natural visibility is not expected to return until 2106.
Read more about the report over at The LA Times.
