Another scientific group is sounding alarm bells about the rapidly changing climate and what it could mean to some of America’s most treasured landmarks.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, an alliance of more than 400,000 biologists, physicists, and other citizens, said memorial from the Statue of Liberty to land in California’s 19th century gold rush are all at risk of being destroyed through climate change.
The group listed multiple areas that could be at risk from climate change in the Sunshine State including: Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine’s historic downtown, Ten Thousand Islands and Canaveral National Seashore, and the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
Other areas that were listed at risk included: Ellis Island, Charleston’s Historic District, Johnson Space Center, U.S. Naval Academy, and others.
The group listed rising seas, floods, and wildfires as some of the biggest threats to the historic sites all due to climate change.
"Our report is about … how so many of those places are being impacted right now by climate change,” said Adam Markham, director of climate impacts at UCS. "The impacts will get worse in the future. The risks are growing. The vulnerability is greater."
But, even with 97 percent of climate science studies supporting man-made impacts on global warming, the report faces an uphill battle towards making any impact on the federal government’s policies on global warming.
Senator Marco Rubio recently denied the man-made impact on climate change and in recent debates, Republican candidates all said they were either skeptical or denied the impact of man on climate change.
