The US Capitol under heavily polluted skies in Washington, June 28, 2023 ( AFP / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS )
Residents of the American Midwest woke up again on Wednesday to air heavily polluted by smoke from fires in Canada, the second episode of air pollution linked to these fires this month in the United States.
In Chicago, the third most populous city in the country, the sky is gray for the second consecutive day, and some residents have put on masks to move around.
The authorities have advised limiting the time spent outdoors, especially for children or pregnant women. Coincidentally, President Joe Biden arrived in Chicago on Wednesday to talk about the economy.
Also in Detroit, the air pollution index of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates a level “very harmful” to health.
The smoke is expected to move east and reach the Washington area during the day or night, according to NASA air pollution scientist Ryan Stauffer.
“One of these events in the year would already be remarkable, but this will be our second in a month,” he said on Twitter.
New York authorities also warned residents that the air quality would deteriorate on Wednesday and Thursday, and set up distributions of masks.
Air quality is also poor in Toronto on Wednesday, and is also expected to deteriorate sharply during the day in Ottawa, according to Canadian authorities.
Smoke from fires in Canada reaches Europe (AFP/Sabrina BLANCHARD)
Although a study assessing the direct link between climate change and these current fires has not yet been conducted, scientists insist that global warming, caused by human activities, generally exacerbates the risk of fires and their intensity.
During a particularly impressive first episode of air pollution at the beginning of the month, which affected the entire northeastern United States, US President Joe Biden judged that it was “a brutal reminder of the consequences of the climate change”.
On Monday, NASA said smoke from the Canadian fires had reached southwestern Europe. In particular, it published a satellite image showing a gray cloud over northern Spain and Portugal.
Downtown Chicago, which is experiencing an episode of air pollution due to fires in Canada, June 27, 2023 (AFP / KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI)
But the quality of the air should however remain acceptable there, because the smoke is higher in the atmosphere when it arrives in Europe, specified NASA.
Some 500 wildfires are currently active in Canada, half of which are considered out of control. In particular, Quebec is experiencing a historic and particularly early fire season.
This crisis is likely to continue, because the peak of summer is far from being reached, and follows a very dry spring.
2023-06-28 17:10:00
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