Researchers issue warning as widespread public health hazard makes worrying comeback: 'Like the zombie that we thought we had killed'

Despite years of progress on air quality in Canada, wildfires driven by a warming climate are setting the country back, researchers say. 

What's happening?

In 2023, Canada experienced a record-breaking wildfire season, with tens of thousands of forests destroyed. A report has found that, in the same year, the country also experienced its worst air pollution levels since 1998. 

According to CBC, scientists have said that pollution from wildfires, fueled by the climate crisis, is reversing decades of work to reduce air pollution in the U.S. and Canada.

"What's really interesting about the reversals in Canada and the United States is they're showing that air pollution is like the zombie that we thought we had killed, but it's coming back to life," Michael Greenstone, one of the report's authors, told CBC.

He added, "I think of this return of air pollution through the wildfires as being the ghost of fossil fuels past."

Why is this study important?

This report highlighted the challenges of managing air pollution on an overheating planet. 

While wildfires have always occurred, a warming climate is amplifying wildland fire activity, particularly in northern and temperate forests, according to NASA. 

In fact, another study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, found that wildfire activity has more than doubled worldwide from 2003 to 2023.

Fine particulate matter, also known as PM 2.5, is considered to be the most dangerous pollutant in wildfire smoke in terms of public health. It has been linked with a number of negative health outcomes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including premature death, particularly in older populations. 

Another paper from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, found that PM 2.5 from wildfire smoke carries even more serious health risks than other forms of PM 2.5, such as that which comes from vehicle tailpipes.

Do you worry about the quality of the air inside your home? Yes — often 😬 Yes — but only sometimes 😕 Only when it's bad outside 😮‍💨 No — I never do 😌 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What's being done about air pollution?

Since more severe wildfire seasons are tied to a warming planet, the most powerful way to address the problem is through cutting our use of coal, natural gas, and oil, which are responsible for more than 75% of planet-heating pollution, per the United Nations. 

One way communities are making a difference is by switching to electric school buses — in fact, orders for electric school buses have increased more than tenfold in the U.S. since the beginning of 2021. 

Similarly, you can cut down on your transportation-related pollution contributions by walking more or riding your bike.

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