Orange skies and watery eyes? Blame climate polluters.

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Recent wildfires underscore the dangers of fires and their smoke. But they will only get worse if we don’t slow down climate change at the source.

In early June, millions of people in the United States woke up to a strange scorching red sun in a hazy sky. In some places, many couldn’t even see the sun through the orange fog covering their towns and villages.

The source: smoke from hundreds of wildfires that erupted across eastern Canada, blowing across the northeast and midwest of the United States. Tens of millions of people in the United States were on high alert due to record air pollution.

Early reports suggest lightning has sparked a potentially record-breaking wildfire season in Canada. But what could have been more minor fires years ago have been fueled to new heights by drier conditions caused by the climate crisis.

These fires will only get worse if we don’t stop the climate crisis at its source: polluting industries like fossil fuels and factory farms.

While Canada’s forests burn and millions stay indoors to take shelter from the dangerous air, powerful corporations are still recklessly endangering our climate.

These are photos from our staff showing how much smoke from Canada’s wildfires blankets New York City and they clearly demonstrate that meaningful climate action is LONG overdue. #Canadian Wildfires pic.twitter.com/O1n4OwotSH

— Food & Water Watch (@foodandwater) June 7, 2023 Wildfire smoke is a public health threat

Air pollution is already a widespread problem. In 2019, the World Health Organization found that 99% of people around the world live in places that don’t meet its guidelines for healthy air quality.

In recent years, smoke from wildfires has created even more air pollution as the fires burn longer and more intensely. This is bad news for public health.

Surface symptoms include watery eyes, tingling, coughing, and headache. But smoke from wildfires can also worsen conditions such as asthma and heart disease, leading to more emergency room visits and even premature deaths.

Of particular concern: particulate matter (PM). These tiny particles are given off by all combustion, including car engines, power plants and forest fires.

In the United States and around the world, particulate matter is the number one source of air pollution-related health problems. And smoke from wildfires accounts for more than 40% of PM pollution in the United States.

At the same time, smoke from wildfires can carry other dangerous pollutants. For example, the 2018 campfire in California spewed lead into the air.

The past few years have shown us that climate change fueled wildfires and their smoke can threaten anyone. But these risks and their consequences are not evenly distributed.

As with most crises, those with more resources can respond and cope better. They can move quickly to safer places; buy high-quality air filters and masks; work from home or take the day off to shelter indoors.

These resource inequalities often follow other inequalities. For example, outdoor workers like farm workers, many of whom are migrants and immigrants without basic labor protections, often have to work in the smoke.

Homeless people often cannot shelter indoors during periods of poor air quality. And communities of color are disproportionately vulnerable to the devastation caused by wildfires and more likely to struggle with economic recovery afterwards.

How our climate emergency is fanning the flames to new heights

We can trace our current levels of air pollution from wildfires back to the climate crisis. In many areas, climate change means hotter and drier conditions, often for a longer time of the year. Drier soils and plant life create more fuel for wildfires.

As a result, we are seeing more intense fires, longer fire seasons, more area burned, and more smoke. Without the climate emergency, we could have seen half as much land burned by wildfires in the last 40 years.

Additionally, large wildfires create a dangerous climate feedback loop, as carbon-storing plants and trees go up in smoke. This emits greenhouse gases, which accelerates climate change, which worsens forest fires, etc.

Without strong climate action, CO2 emissions from US wildfires could increase 2.5 times from current levels. Moreover, with just a small level of climate action, dangerous PM2.5* pollution could triple by 2100.

Tackling the root of the crisis: the industry that is destroying the climate

We can add orange skies and plummeting air quality to the long list of reasons why we need to stop climate pollution, especially from fossil fuels and factory farms.

Livestock is one of the main sources of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas whose impact is more than 80 times greater than that of CO2. Additionally, the excessive water consumption of factory farms is a major contributor to water shortages in western states like New Mexico and California.

Closing down and stopping the growth of factory farms is crucial for climate action and water management.

In addition, we have known for a long time that we must get out of fossil fuels to curb climate chaos. Yet Big Oil continues to use its political power to green and grow. Systems like carbon capture, hydrogen and factory farm gas threaten to lock us into decades of more drilling and burning.

Many politicians working hand in hand with the fossil fuel industry have supported these efforts. More recently, Congress passed a budget deal that will move polluting projects forward faster.

And President Biden, who ran on climate promises, hasn’t kept his promises. Its recent support for the Willow project, liquid gas exports, new oil and gas drilling licenses and carbon capture will deepen the crisis.

That’s why we fight to stop as many polluting projects as possible. This is why we must continue to pressure leaders to curb climate-destroying industries. This is how we provide a livable future for all, with fewer wildfires, less deadly air pollution and more blue skies.

Tell President Biden to stop all new fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency!

* PM2.5 refers to particles 2.5 microns in width or less.

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