Northern US Suffocates as Canada’s Wildfires Worsen Air Quality

Chis year marked the great return of the Tribeca Film Festival, which can once again be seen in person, in several New York movie theaters. Wednesday June 7, Robert De Niro, co-founder of the event with Martin Scorsese, was delighted, shortly before the opening: “Last year, we made a virtual festival so badly it was going. This year we’re resurfacing, we’re getting out of that and taking the next step. The stroke of genius was even to offer free and… outdoor sessions. Whose quality has never been so degraded in fifty years.

On Wednesday, in New York, the eyes stung, the throats scratched and, in fact, it was that of 2020 which reappeared, with the masks coming out of the drawers. Smoke of the approximately 400 fires ravaging Canada’s forests focused above the city, erasing the tops of legendary skyscrapers, blurred in a sepia cotton.

The festival has since “monitored the situation closely and followed the recommendations” of the municipal authorities. Mayor Eric Adams recommended “all New Yorkers limit all outdoor activity as much as possible.” He added: “This is particularly true for the elderly, people who suffer from chronic illnesses or have weakened immune systems, or young children, all of whom are at high risk. Avoid going out unless absolutely necessary. For those who must be outside, a high quality mask, such as N95, KN95 or KF94 is recommended. »

Wednesday morning, the air quality was assessed as “very unhealthy” before reaching the “dangerous” level in the afternoon. Thursday, it had gone back to “unhealthy” and was to reach the level “unhealthy for risk groups” on Friday.

Deleted flights

But the level reached Wednesday afternoon placed New York in the unenviable rank of city with the worst air quality in the world, ahead of Delhi, India. On a scale of 0 to 500, it reached 484 (the “very dangerous” level encompasses the category of 300 to 500). At this alert level, “the entire population is more likely to be affected,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

In question, the fine particles. These, mixtures of solid particles and droplets, can, if they are smaller than 2.5 micrometers (1/7^e the diameter of a hair), enter the lungs and blood and cause serious health problems.

READ ALSOClimate: humanity’s “carbon budget” is shrinkingGovernor Kathy Hochul announced that the state will distribute one million N95 masks, including 400,000 in New York City. “You don’t need to go out for a walk. You don’t have to walk a baby in a stroller… it’s not safe to do that right now,” she recommended. The United States Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) has spaced out air transport and delayed or even canceled flights. School outings and sporting events were canceled and some schools preferred to provide distance learning.

“Another sign of climate change”

New York is far from the only city affected. One hundred million Americans have been breathing poor air in recent days, across the northeastern part of the United States, from the city of Chicago, Illinois, in the North, to that of Atlanta, Georgia, in the South. Washington, the federal capital, and Philadelphia, capital of Pennsylvania, also experienced worrying levels for air quality.

The event is “another worrying sign of how climate change is affecting our lives,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. On Thursday, the air in New York had begun to clear, leaving a milky veil over the city.

In Brooklyn, tourists had resumed their traditional photos of New York skyscrapers and the famous bridge. “We can breathe today, not like yesterday when it was really suffocating, even if the recommendation is always to wear your mask, because the smoke is there”, said Nelly, who sold ferry tickets – and wore his mask under his chin…

Record drought

Au Canada, the fires have already displaced tens of thousands of people. After the province of Alberta (72 fires, west of Canada), British Columbia (72 fires), Ontario (56) and the Northwest Territories (12), Quebec (131 fires ) is hit by “never seen” fires. Nearly 140 are currently active, of which nearly a hundred are totally uncontrolled, according to the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fire (Sopfeu). And no precipitation is expected until Monday evening.

Canada says it can “cover about 40 fires at the same time”, according to the Premier of the province of Quebec, François Legault. The United States sent more than 600 firefighters to assist Canadian firefighters and Joe Biden has announced he will send more. Quebec has recorded 443 fires since the start of 2023, compared to an average of 200 during the same period in the last ten years.

READ ALSO“Four flights in a lifetime”: when ecology cuts our wingsThe fire season, a natural process in the Canadian boreal forest, generally begins in May in Quebec and Canada. This one is exceptional, and has already reached 1,400% of the usual area burned at this time of year. Many of the fires were sparked by lightning earlier this month, but above normal temperatures and record drought brought fires to Canada as early as May.

According to the Natural Resources Agency of Canada, climate change could double the area burned by the end of the century, which could lead to disastrous consequences, such as the lack of wood and the modification of the majority tree species in the forests.

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