I was interviewed by Down To Earth journalist Seema Prasad about the ongoing Canadian wildfires in Quebec and the resulting smoke pollution in New York City on June 5-9, 2023. The article was published on June 9, 2023.
Many provinces experiencing highest emissions since 2003: Scientist monitoring Canadian wildfires
By Seema Prasad, Reporter, Down To Earth
Throughout Canada, more than 400 wildfires have led to mass evacuation across the country. While every year, Canada experiences a wildfire season between May and October, this level of destruction is unprecedented and is touted to be the worst in history.
The country’s federal minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair informed that the 9.4 million acres have burned so far, equivalent to 15 times the 10-year average. He added that, consequently warm, dry conditions were expected in the months to come, Reuters reported on June 8, 2023.
“Persistent hot and dry conditions are fanning the flames of Canadian wildfires. So far this spring, wildfires in Canada have scorched an area more than 10 times larger than average,” the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the agency of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, tweeted on June 7.
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By June 7, the skies over New York and other North American cities grew smoky. NASA said that smoke from the fires was drifting southwest and south.
On that day, New York recorded the highest AQI in the world at 342, almost double the index compared to other polluted cities such as Dubai (168) and Delhi (164), according to IQAir, a Reuters report stated.
Wildfire smoke contains various harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds and, DTE previously reported. This might damage the lungs and heart and worsen prior conditions, such as asthma.
“Yesterday, New York was covered in an eerie orange glow from the smoke particles. We are all advised to stay indoors as much as possible and wear N95 masks outdoors. What makes this event difficult is that many New Yorkers live and work in older buildings that have poor air circulation, which makes it hard to avoid the smoke completely,” Caroline S. Juang, Ph.D. Candidate, at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University, told DTE.
According to the Canada Drought Monitor, nearly all of the country’s 10 provinces have reported an abnormal level of dryness, leading to the wildfire season having a dry and hot start this year.
“Human-caused climate change has led to an increase in the heat that allows for fire, increasing drought conditions that can dry out fuel moisture. That means that as long as there is an ignition, whether human-caused or lightning-caused, there is a higher chance of wildfires starting and spreading,” Juang told DTE.
Read the full article on Down To Earth