Are you tired of hearing “global warming” over and over again? Well, let me introduce you to a better term: “global weirding”. From freak snowstorms in Texas to wildfires in Siberia, it’s clear that the earth’s climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable.
This past week, the Eastern U.S. was hit by another weird occurrence – thick, smelly smoke from the 400 wildfires that are currently burning in Canada. With over 11 million acres on fire (that’s bigger than Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, and New Jersey combined), two anomalies were at play: Canadian wildfires that have burned 15 times more area than average, and winds that blew the smoke south, and then stalled.
According to Vijay Limaye, a senior scientist and environmental epidemiologist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, “This last week saw the worst wildfire smoke exposures across the country ever seen”. The smoke is not just trees going up in flames; it’s homes, cars, and car batteries, and it contains a toxic soup of multiple air pollutants that enter deep into our lungs. In fact, these particles can be smaller than one ten-thousandth of an inch – that’s smaller than a human hair!
While this may seem like a freak occurrence, the truth is that wildfire smoke is becoming increasingly common. In 2020, San Francisco was engulfed in smoke from wildfires, and the East Coast has been hit by Canada’s smoke before, in 2002. However, with Canada on track to have its worst wildfire season on record, and with fires starting earlier and lasting longer, this could just be the beginning.
So, let’s recap: Canadian wildfires are not unusual, but the smoke reaching this far South is very rare. With Canada experiencing fires this big, this early in the season, it’s safe to say that it’s freakish! As Limaye warns, “The climate science indicates that this could just be the beginning.”
In conclusion, we need to start taking climate change seriously and make a concerted effort to reduce our carbon footprint. And let’s start using the term “global weirding” to describe the unpredictable and unusual weather patterns that are becoming increasingly common.
For more information on this issue, check out this story produced by Amiel Weisfogel and Robert Marston and edited by Emanuele Secci.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
