Scorching dogs, beach days and iced tea on the porch are just some of the summer rituals. But in the age of global warming, a up-to-date ritual has emerged: smothering smoke from fires burning hundreds of miles or more.
The Midwest, Northeast and parts of Canada were shrouded in chunky smoke, turning the sky an eerie shade of orange and sparking widespread air quality alerts. Source? Wildfires in Minnesota and Western Ontario.
Most fires are burning in Canada – as of Friday afternoon, there were 119 uncontrolled fires across the country. The fires burn so intensely that smoke rises into the atmosphere and jets eastward. Chicago and Detroit thus had the worst air quality in the world on Friday. Modern York and Washington, D.C. also made the top 10 list.
Unhealthy air is causing cities to advise residents to stay indoors and residents are looking for ways to reduce exposure to harmful wildfire smoke. While fresh air is expected to reach at least some locations this weekend, the fires show no signs of abating, which could mean more smoke later this summer.
The burning of fossil fuels has increased the risk of devastating wildfires, and with them, more smoke. The orange days that hit the East Coast this week hark back to 2023, when Canada’s worst wildfire season on record sent smoke billowing across the region. Similar scenes occurred in Europe this summer as wildfires raged in Spain, and over the past few years we’ve seen orange skies at various times in places as far away as Australia and California.
Research published last year shows that the situation is likely to worsen if the world does not stop using coal, oil and gas. The Nature study found that in the United States alone, wildfire smoke will cause 71,420 additional deaths annually by mid-century, an enhance of 73% compared to 2010. Scientists estimate that by then, as many as 1.9 million people in the United States will die from smoking-related health problems.
You can see what this week’s smoke invasion looks like below. This is almost certainly a precursor to worse epidemics if temperatures continue to rise.