National Landmarks at Risk

The report examines the vulnerability of iconic U.S. landmarks to climate change, highlighting risks such as sea level rise in coastal cities and increased wildfire activity in the Southwest. It argues for urgent national priority in climate resilience and carbon emission reduction to protect cultural heritage.

• Coastal erosion and sea level rise are causing the loss of irreplaceable archaeological sites and threatening native villages in Alaska, with 85 percent of more than 200 native Alaskan villages already affected by erosion and flooding.
• Sea level rise and storm surges are threatening historic coastal cities and monuments on the East Coast. In Boston, extreme high tides already flood warehouse neighborhoods, while the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island suffered an estimated $77 million in damage from Hurricane Sandy.
• Several national monuments in Maryland and Virginia face imminent threats from rising seas. The Harriet Tubman National Monument could be largely underwater by 2050, and Fort Monroe has seen water levels rise almost a foot and a half since the 1920s.
• NASA's coastal facilities are highly vulnerable, with more than two-thirds of its facilities located within 16 feet of sea level. Rising seas are cited as the single largest threat to the continued operations of the Kennedy Space Center.
• In the Southwest, rising temperatures and earlier snowmelt are increasing the frequency and size of wildfires, threatening sites like Mesa Verde National Park and Bandelier National Monument. The average number of large wildfires (over 1,000 acres) in the western U.S. rose from 140 per year in the 1980s to 250 per year between 2000 and 2012.
• Extreme heat and prolonged drought are endangering the livelihoods and safety of California farmworkers, as highlighted by the César Chávez National Monument. Projections suggest Bakersfield could experience nearly 50 days of extreme heat (104°F or more) by 2050.
• Prehistoric shell structures in Florida are being lost to erosion and storm damage exacerbated by sea level rise, which has risen eight to nine inches in the last 100 years in some areas.
• In Hawaii, sea level rise threatens ancient cultural resources, including fishponds and fish traps at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, with some beaches eroding at a rate of three to four inches per year.

APA

Holtz, D., Markham, A., Cell, K., & Ekwurzel, B. (2014). National Landmarks at Risk. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/National-Landmarks-at-Risk-Full-Report.pdf

Chicago

Holtz, Debra, Adam Markham, Kate Cell, and Brenda Ekwurzel. National Landmarks at Risk. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/National-Landmarks-at-Risk-Full-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Holtz |first1=Debra |last2=Markham |first2=Adam |last3=Cell |first3=Kate |last4=Ekwurzel |first4=Brenda |title=National Landmarks at Risk |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/National-Landmarks-at-Risk-Full-Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{holtz2014national, author = {Holtz, Debra and Markham, Adam and Cell, Kate and Ekwurzel, Brenda}, title = {{National Landmarks at Risk}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/National-Landmarks-at-Risk-Full-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }