Smoke over NYC: Is hazy air the new normal?
Our days of dangerous air quality may be just beginning
Much of the northeastern U.S. is under strict air quality warnings as wildfire smoke from Canada blankets the region. Canada could potentially have its worst-ever wildfire season as the country got an unusually early start, per Reuters. Currently, over 150 wildfires are burning in Quebec alone, according to NASA, and a storm system off the coast of Nova Scotia is spreading the smoke into the Northeast.
The smoke is expected to spread through the mid-Atlantic in the coming days, as well. Air quality is measured by the Air Quality Index which runs from 0 to 500 —created by the Environmental Protection Agency, the index measures ground-level ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Wildfire smoke specifically adds to the level of particulates in the air because it contains PM2.5, "the tiniest pollutant yet also the most dangerous," CNN explained. Breathing in the smoke could have negative health implications, specifically impacting the heart and respiratory system. "If you can see or smell smoke, know that you're being exposed," William Barrett of the American Lung Association told CNN.
New York City is among the worst cities for air quality currently, and was the number one city with the worst air quality on Tuesday evening, per IQAir. While this air quality is fairly new to New York City, many other cities, namely those in developing nations, regularly have high levels of pollution. In addition, high air pollution levels may become commonplace as climate change worsens. As Jack Caravanos, a clinical professor of environmental public health sciences at NYU remarked on All Things Considered, "All estimates seem to indicate that this is only going to get worse."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What are commentators saying?
Living in a particulate haze could become a more common occurrence. According to a 2022 study, the number of people in the U.S. who experienced at least one day of unhealthy air quality "increased 27-fold over the last decade." Denise Chow and Evan Bush reported for NBC News that polluted air from wildfire smoke "has become a significant health risk in the U.S., and it is growing worse."
Wildfires will likely become more prevalent globally because of the changing climate. "Climate change is causing prolonged spells of heat and drought, raising the risk of such blazes," Mark Gongloff wrote for Bloomberg. "Cranking up the heat in a system as complex as a planetary climate has complex effects, it turns out." With fire comes smoke, and "there's nowhere to escape the smoke," said David Wallace-Wells in The New York Times. He added that most of the wildfire pollution "is experienced by people living outside the state in which the trees are actually burning."
"In addition to worsening fires, climate change and the fossil fuels that cause it are increasing air pollution, both directly and indirectly," reported Rachel DuRose for Vox. A 2020 study found that the majority of the world's population "continues to be exposed to levels of air pollution substantially above WHO (World Health Organization) Air Quality Guidelines." In the industrialized world, air pollution is a problem disproportionately impacting developing nations. Countries like India and China regularly experience unhealthy levels of air pollution. "Air pollution is highest in cities and comes from a variety of sources, including the burning of natural gas, motor vehicles and industry," wrote Kelsey Barter for The Tennessean. "Air pollution is a global problem with local solutions."
"While global warming distributes its brutality over time and around the world," Wallace-Wells concluded in a different piece for the Times, "the effects of air pollution are far more concentrated locally." However, the wildfire smoke is "just one example of how the effects of rising temperatures will be felt all over the planet," Bloomberg's Gongloff continued. "Ignoring the universal effects of a hotter planet, from shrinking biodiversity to resource wars to refugee crises and more, is much more difficult."
What's next?
In the short term, there are ways to prevent the health implications of smoke inhalation. Staying indoors and avoiding heavy physical activity is best but, "if you are going outside and you have a respiratory condition of any type, definitely a respirator — an N95 or K95 mask — would be advisable," Caravanos urged. The world also needs to look at ways to slow climate change, including switching to renewable energy. Fossil fuels contributed to over one-third of wildfires in the western U.S., with emissions tracing back to just 88 companies.
In the long term, we may need to think about adapting to a new normal. "Even if we shut off fossil fuel emissions tomorrow, we still have a certain amount of warming in the system that's already happened," said Matthew Hurteau, a biology professor at the University of New Mexico, to Vox. "We're going to have to figure out how to live with it." The warming climate is worsening natural disasters including wildfires, and as many areas are facing drought conditions, wildfires will only grow more dire. As Hurteau concluded, "we have to start thinking about: how do we live in a more smoky world?"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Lab-grown meat might be about to meet its maker
Under the radar The controversy at the intersection of cultured meat and agribusiness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is the Anthropocene — and more importantly, when?
Under The Radar Just because a panel of scientists has rejected calls to classify a new global epoch does not mean it hasn't already begun
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Extreme weather events in the last year
In Depth Extreme weather events are becoming more common thanks to climate change, and are 'affecting every corner of the world'
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The Atlantic Ocean may start shrinking
In the spotlight The motion of the ocean could be closing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'Magnolias in space': why scientists have created the world's first wooden satellite
Under The Radar New Japanese probe could help tackle 'graveyard of space junk' encircling Earth
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The most and least environmentally friendly countries of 2023
In Depth Which nations are making strides, and which are missing the mark?
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is NASA working on?
In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'New denial': There's a shift in climate denialism on YouTube
Talking Point This new era of misinformation is circumventing the platform's climate change policy
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published