Pollution in the Grand Canyon

Without doubt, one of the greatest wonders that the United States offers to its visitors is the Grand Canyon. Few landscapes in the world can match the beauty of this of this enormous gorge carved out over millions of years by the Colorado River.

Despite the cold winter temperatures, thousands of tourists flock each week to be able to observe its sharp cliffs and steep hills. Without doubt, the Grand Canyon presents its best face at dawn, when the rise of the sun highlights the red color of the mountains. For several minutes, the changing of the tone of light is constantly changing the colors of the landscape.

Although the thermometer drops to a morning low of -15 degrees Celsius, the famous spectacle of a sunset in the Grand Canyon is well worth a little pain and suffering. However, the day that I got up early, the entire canyon was covered in a dense fog, which blurred the colors of the landscape.

The day was clear, without a single cloud in the sky, and I imagined the fog was the product of the cold. However, I was mistaken. In the tourist center, a friendly park ranger informed us that it wasn’t a blanket of fog that covered the Grand Canyon but pollution, especially from the cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Curiously enough, the same day, the newspaper carried an article about the dispute around the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States. The agency intends to introduce limits on the emission of greenhouse gasses, but an alliance of Republican and Democratic representatives from states with large coal mines have conspired to prevent it. The debate regarding the EPA revolves mainly around climate change. Does it really exist? And if it exists, is it the cause of human action?

Looking across the stunning Grand Canyon, under a dirty smog, one wonders if the only argument for limiting greenhouse gas emissions really is the existence of climate change. It is a pity that pollution is ruining a landscape as captivating as the Grand Canyon, but even worse is the damage it does to our lungs.

Unfortunately, as our politicians do not seem interested in acting, it will be a question of continuing to refill our dear inhalers, currently the only way to avoid an asthma attack.