There was a hint of regret: in mid-July, visitors who had ventured into the Desert of Death in Death Valley in California, 86 meters below sea level, were photographed in front of a thermometer displaying 133 ° F , i.e. 56°C. Impressive but still below the world temperature record recorded here in 1913, with 134.1°F. This summer, while the southern United States was roasting in the heat, nature was going crazy. In Death Valley, of course, but also in the Californian reserve of the Mojave desert, where grow the famous trees of Joshua, which was prey to the flames; to the Mendenhall glacier, near Juneau, the capital of Alaska, which when it melted released tons of water and swept away homes… The sanctuaries represented by American national parks, where at least seven people died of heat this summer , are hit by the effects of global warming.
Selected because of the natural gems they contain, these parks are fragile and particularly affected, as they are located in Alaska and in mountainous areas (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Yosemite, etc.), where the heat rises faster, but also in the deserts of the Southwest like the Grand Canyon, where precipitation is scarcer than elsewhere.
The country is aware of this. “America’s natural wonders are the heart and soul of our nation”said Joe Biden on August 8 in Arizona near the Grand Canyon, announcing the additional protection of lands occupied by Native Americans. “Preserving these lands is not only good for Arizona, but also good for the planet. It is good for the soul of the nation. But there is still work to be done to combat the existential threat of climate change. We have seen historic floods, more intense droughts, wildfires spreading smoky mists for thousands of kilometres”continued the American president, who praised his climate action and announced an aid plan of 44 million dollars (about 40 million euros) to help the parks adapt.
This new sum highlights the climate emergency, but remains derisory in view of the stakes: for example, it took 25 million dollars to hastily redevelop an old path on the mountainside in order to replace the road at the bottom of the canyon which allowed access to Yellowstone Park from Montana, washed away by torrential floods in June 2022. In recent times, climate change has been felt there mainly by excessive precipitation, which has also prevented access to the park in February 2023, as the snow was abundant: the park was drowned like all of the American West by an “atmospheric river”.
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