The four most polluted national parks are all in California
Some of California’s most treasured parks are threatened by blight caused by pollution and climate change, according to a pair of new reports. The four national parks with the highest ozone levels are all in California, with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks topping the list of parks struggling with air that’s dangerous to breathe, according to a recent report by the National Parks Conservation Assn., an independent advocacy group. Meanwhile, severe wildfires, drought and sea-level rise are ravaging state parks, which encompass nearly a quarter of California’s coastline, according to a separate report by the California State Parks Foundation, another advocacy group. … Behemoth sequoias and jagged Joshua trees are among millions of trees across the state succumbing to worsening wildfires, severe drought, extreme heat, disease and other stressors that have been intensified by global warming.