Canadian Wildfires Cover Northeast in Smog: Is Climate Change to Blame?
AllSides Summary
Voices across the spectrum are divided on the role of climate change in the Canadian wildfires enveloping the northeast United States in smog.
Increased Intensity: An analysis in ABC News (Lean Left bias) stated that while wildfires are not started by climate change, “the conditions that make wildfires more intense and severe, including heat and drought, are strongly linked to human-induced changes in the climate.” The article goes on to describe forests filled with “damaged trees, dead trees, brush” as a result of drought conditions increasing the fuel for wildfires.
Neglected Forests: A piece in the New York Post Opinion (Right Bias) pushed back against “climate alarmists,” stating that “pressure from green activists” wary of harming wildlife and “bureaucratic obstacles” have resulted in declining maintenance in Canadian forests. The writer argues that preventative measures, such as controlled burns and commercial logging, would have reduced the severity of the fires by clearing out the dead trees and brush.
Worsening Conditions: An article in BBC News (Center bias) looked into the connection, finding spring seasons in Canada have been “warmer and drier than usual, creating a tinder-dry environment for these vast fires.” The report predicts wildfires to increase in the coming decades “as climate change worsens.” The report also attributes worsening wildfires to changes in wildfire response protocols, stating, “modern practice of trying to totally suppress fires can stop forests creating natural firebreaks that would historically have reduced wildfire spread.”
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From the Right
Smoky New York isn’t climate change — it’s bad forest management
While New Yorkers have become inured to the pungent smell of cannabis smoke wafting through the streets, the Canadian wildfire smoke currently turning the sky orange is taking our tolerance to new levels.
By Wednesday we were registering the worse air pollution of any major city in the world and COVID mask maniacs were back in their element.
But don’t fall for the propaganda that climate change is to blame.
The situation in Canada is similar to that in Australia, where green ideology and chronic government underfunding mean that the...
From the Center
Is climate change fuelling Canada's wildfires?
Intense wildfires are blazing across Canada with thousands evacuated and smoke blown as far south as the US state of Georgia, creating hazardous air quality for millions.
Canada is projected to see its largest area on record burned by wildfires this year.
The impact is being felt hundreds of miles away, most keenly in Toronto and New York.
"We are now experiencing a new reality," said Canada's Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
We look at the role a changing climate has in what is happening.
From the Left
How Canada's wildfires and air quality warnings are connected to climate change
Wildfires burning in Canada have prompted hazardous air pollution conditions in the U.S. this week, as smoke moves South and lingers over much of the Northeast.
While wildfires in California and other western states have prompted air quality warnings in the past, seeing them on the other side of the country has prompted questions about how much of a role climate change is playing in the event.
Here's a breakdown of what we know about the connection between the wildfires in Canada and air quality.
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September 24th, 2023
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