Exploring the Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Eastern US and Canada
Millions of people in the eastern United States and Canada have been facing health warnings from environmental regulators as thick smoke from northern wildfires wafted through cities from Ottawa to New York. While Canada continues to battle an active bushfire season with wildfires in most of its provinces and territories, the smoke from the wildfires wafted south, affecting some of North America’s most populous cities.
New York City was particularly affected, with air quality ranking the second worst of any major urban area in the world on Wednesday, according to the IQAir World Quality Index, behind only New Delhi in India. Residents in New York once again donned their masks, which they had recently abandoned as the Covid-19 emergency subsided. Meanwhile, schools cancelled outdoor activities, and the city urged vulnerable New Yorkers to stay inside and keep their windows closed as air quality hit its lowest level since the 1960s.
The wildfires have sent “shock waves throughout the city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. While conditions eased on Wednesday morning, New York officials predicted that they would worsen again into the afternoon and evening, calling it a “multi-day event.”
Washington public schools also suspended outdoor activities for pupils as the city’s environmental regulator issued a “code red” air quality advisory for the District of Columbia. Canada’s environmental regulator has classified the air quality in Ottawa, the country’s capital, as reaching the highest level of health risk. Large swathes of Quebec and Ontario have been subject to an air quality alert by Canadian authorities.
The wildfire’s impact has been significant, with fires in Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and more than a dozen oil and gas companies to temporarily shut down or reduce operations. More fires have now taken hold in the forests of eastern provinces such as Quebec and Nova Scotia. As of Wednesday, more than 400 active wildfires were burning across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Scientists have observed that fires in the northern hemisphere’s boreal forests have increased in intensity over the past decade with average temperatures across the planet’s north rising faster than near the equator due to global warming, such as snow reflective and the ice of the Arctic has melted. In general, fires north of the equator are becoming more frequent and intense as the planet warms and summers get hotter. May 2023 ranked globally as the second warmest May on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Observation Service.
Heat records were broken in parts of Asia, particularly China and Vietnam, where unseasonably warm weather kicked in months earlier than the usual July and August summers. Parts of Siberia also set all-time records last week. Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record for the month and have been at near record highs since March.
How Smoke from Wildfires Affects Health
Wildfire smoke is composed of gases and fine particles from burning trees and plants. The composition of smoke depends on the type of vegetation burning, as well as weather factors, including wind patterns.
Smoke from wildfires can cause numerous health impacts, including:
• Inhalation of fine particles (particulate matter) can cause lung irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath.
• People with heart or lung disease, children, and older adults are the most susceptible to these effects
• The gases and chemicals in smoke can react with sunlight and other pollutants in the air to form ground-level ozone and contribute to the creation of smog.
The smoke from the wildfires in Canada has had its impact on the eastern US with the worst air quality being in New York City. For those with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular health conditions, the impact of air pollution can be dire. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are also more vulnerable to its effect. People have been asked to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, close windows and doors where possible, and stay indoors where air conditioning filters smoke particles. With climate change being a significant cause of wildfires, the situation is expected to continue to worsen.
The Need for Environmental Action
The recent incidents of thick smoke enveloping cities in the eastern US and Canada are a stark reminder of the need for environmental action to reduce the impact of climate change and prevent these wildfires from becoming more frequent and intense.
Governments around the world have been taking steps to address the impacts of climate change on wildfires. The UN Climate Change Conference has been working on the next steps for countries under the Paris Agreement, such as plans to cut greenhouse gases that are fueling climate change. The conference focuses on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and increasing forest safety in vulnerable communities. While such efforts are admirable and praiseworthy, more still needs to be done to mitigate further incidences of wildfires.
Summary
Millions of people in the eastern US and Canada have been facing health warnings due to the smoke from the wildfires wafting through cities. Wildfires have been causing significant damage to Canada’s oil-producing province of Alberta and have taken hold in forests of eastern provinces such as Quebec and Nova Scotia. Smoke from wildfires composed of gases and fine particles from burning trees and plants can cause lung irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath and be deadly for vulnerable people. Governments and bodies around the world have recognized the need for environmental action to reduce the impact of climate change and prevent wildfires from becoming more frequent and intense.
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Millions of people in the eastern United States and Canada faced health warnings from environmental regulators as thick smoke from northern wildfires wafted through cities from Ottawa to New York.
Canada is battling an active bushfire season with wildfires in most of its 10 provinces and territories. Smoke from the wildfires wafted south through some of North America’s most populous cities this week.
New York City’s air quality ranked the second worst of any major urban area in the world on Wednesday, according to the IQAir World Quality Indexbehind only New Delhi in India.
New York residents have once again donned the masks they had recently abandoned as the Covid-19 emergency subsided. Schools have canceled outdoor activities and the city has urged vulnerable New Yorkers to stay inside and keep windows closed as air quality has reached its lowest level since the 1960s.
“Yesterday, New Yorkers saw and smelled something that had never hit us on this scale before,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday morning, noting that the event sent “shock waves throughout the city”.
After easing Wednesday morning, New York officials predicted conditions would worsen again into the afternoon and into the evening, calling it a “multi-day event.”
Washington public schools also suspended outdoor activities for pupils as the city’s environmental regulator issued a “code red” air quality advisory for the District of Columbia.
Canada’s environmental regulator has classified the air quality in Ottawa, the country’s capital, as reaching the highest level of health risk. Large swathes of Quebec and Ontario have been subject to an air quality alert by Canadian authorities.
Washington © Leah Mills/Reuters
Montreal © Allen McInnis/Bloomberg
Earlier this spring, fires in Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and forced more than a dozen oil and gas companies to temporarily shut down or reduce operations.
More fires have now taken hold in the forests of eastern provinces such as Quebec and Nova Scotia. More than 400 active wildfires were burning across Canada as of Wednesday, second the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Scientists have observed that fires in the northern hemisphere’s boreal forests have increased in intensity over the past decade with average temperatures across the planet’s north rising faster than near the equator due to global warming, such as snow reflective and the ice of the Arctic has melted.
Fires north of the equator are generally becoming more frequent and intense as the planet warms and summers get hotter. May 2023 ranked globally as the second warmest May on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Observation Service.
Heat records were broken in parts of Asia, particularly China and Vietnam, where unseasonably warm weather kicked in months earlier than the usual July and August summers. Parts of Siberia also set all-time records last week.
Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record for the month and have been at near record highs since March.
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