Vicious cycle: Wildfire smoke and wind a growing threat in Alberta
Article content
Edmontonians getting bombarded with cellphone warnings about hazardous air conditions need to pay attention.
In an ever-lengthening forest fire season, there's a gritty new reality to climate change where smoke from as far away as Washington state can make people in Bonnie Doon or St. Albert more miserable than ever before, said Matthew Adams, a geography professor at the University of Toronto.
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Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton prepares for wave of wildfire smoke
Article content Edmonton is launching its extreme weather response as wildfire smoke is expected to cause a plunge in air quality. City officials on Saturday morning announced steps to protect people as smoke rolls in from fires in Saskatchewan and northeast B.C. Environment Canada's air quality health index was expected to rise to a 9 out of 10 Saturday evening and persist through Monday morning. Article content The city's response will include opening recreation centres, pools and libraries to people needing shelter from the poor air. Free face masks and water will be available at certain facilities. People should keep the windows of their homes and vehicles closed and consult Alberta Health Services for more information, a city news release said. It encouraged people concerned about someone outside to contact the 24/7 crisis diversion team by calling 211 and pressing 3. 'For air quality, we encourage people to take any and all actions to reduce exposure to the smoke,' the news release states. 'We encourage Edmontonians to check in on older family, friends and neighbours.' The warnings come as Edmonton and much of North America grapple with increasingly prevalent wildfires linked to climate change and the resulting poor air quality. Last July, with wildfire season only half over, Edmonton had recorded its fourth-worst year for smoke, with 119 'smoke hours.' The city set a record in 2023 with 299 smoke hours, breaking the record of 229 hours set in 2018. Latest National Stories
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Vicious cycle: Wildfire smoke and wind a growing threat in Alberta
Edmontonians getting bombarded with cellphone warnings about hazardous air conditions need to pay attention. Article content In an ever-lengthening forest fire season, there's a gritty new reality to climate change where smoke from as far away as Washington state can make people in Bonnie Doon or St. Albert more miserable than ever before, said Matthew Adams, a geography professor at the University of Toronto. Article content Article content Article content 'Scientists in about 1980 were predicting that this frequency of occurrence, and the amount of forest burned, would increase, and we have been seeing it,' Adams said. Article content Article content In turn, wildfires emit carbon into the air, perpetuating conditions causing the wildfires. Article content It's a vicious cycle — the more that climate causes warming, the more that causes wildfires. Article content Wednesday was National Clean Air Day, part of Canadian Environment Week. Article content 'Air pollution, exacerbated by wildfire smoke, is the leading environmental risk to health in Canada and contributes to nearly 18,000 deaths a year,' said Jessica Sit of the Lung Health Foundation, noting the fire smoke can drift thousands of kilometers, putting millions of Canadians at risk, and especially those who have breathing challenges like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other lung conditions. Article content Article content 'Air pollution doesn't recognize postal codes — it can and will travel — and no level of exposure is safe,' said Sit, a certified respiratory educator and registered respiratory therapist. Article content Unprecedented changes Article content Tanzina Mohsin is a climatologist and a professor of physical and environmental science at the University of Toronto. Article content This year's start of the wildfire season is unprecedented but not an 'isolated anomaly,' Mohsin said. Article content 'It is actually a signal of troubling escalation in Canada's climate vulnerability. This is a fire season unfolding earlier and far more aggressively than historical norms. This crisis is being fuelled by a perfect storm of weather extremes — early May temperatures in high thirties caused a prolonged heat wave. The low humidity and strong wind, all kind of linked together indicating broader climate change-driven shift.
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
Vicious cycle: Wildfire smoke and wind a growing threat in Alberta
Article content Edmontonians getting bombarded with cellphone warnings about hazardous air conditions need to pay attention. In an ever-lengthening forest fire season, there's a gritty new reality to climate change where smoke from as far away as Washington state can make people in Bonnie Doon or St. Albert more miserable than ever before, said Matthew Adams, a geography professor at the University of Toronto.
