Wildfire Smoke Is a Sign of the Times

The eerie glow, especially at sunrise and sunset, being caused by the haze from the smoke of the wildfires in Western Canada over the past week or so is yet another sign that there is no escaping the effects of climate change.

The record heat wave for this time of year that has hit the Pacific Northwest is helping to spread these wildfires, which have been burning out of control for more than a week. Fortunately, the resulting smoke that has drifted thousands of miles on the jet stream to our part of the continent reportedly is high enough in the atmosphere that it does not pose a threat to our health at this time.

On the other hand, the smoke-induced haze, if prolonged, could have a profound effect on agricultural production and ultimately could pose a health hazard, especially for those of us who have lung issues such as asthma.

Climate change is happening everywhere all at once, from the impacts of tornado season in our South (which has become the new Tornado Alley) to the huge cyclone that intensified rapidly within just days in the Bay of Bengal to become the strongest-ever cyclone and that devastated Myanmar.

Climate change is not a future event. It’s happening now — and it is only getting worse.

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