HEATED - Don't blame Canada
Welcome back to HEATED—Emily here. I’ve been feeling under the weather lately, so I apologize for being short on newsletters this week. I am grateful, though, to be able to skip newsletters and take time off when I need it. A lot of publications don’t have that ability, because they have to fill the advertising slots that were paid for. This unsustainable model is why so many journalists burn out. And as you all know, I’m committed to not doing that again. To keep our model working, however, we do need more people to choose to support us. Even with advertising, the journalism biz is struggling: This week, the L.A. Times laid off 13 percent of its workforce. We don’t take advertising because we believe in 100 percent independent, reader-funded journalism. But that means we actually need funds from readers. That’s why, for the rest of the month, I’m giving a 25 percent discount on annual subscriptions. This discount will last forever—meaning you will never have to pay the full rate. Each yearly subscription means so much to us, as it allows us to plan for an entire year of funding. So if you value this work and are able, I hope you will consider it. Don't blame CanadaIf anything, we should be blaming fossil fuel companies for the climate-worsened wildfires coating U.S. air in smoke.The Eastern United States is this week experiencing what many regions across the world have been suffering for years: terrible, dangerous air quality. A menacing orange haze engulfed New York City, Philadelphia, and surrounding regions on Wednesday afternoon, forcing millions to limit outdoor activities due to the serious health hazards of particle pollution. New York, in particular, saw the highest pollution levels in the world. But more than a dozen states along one of the nation’s densest population corridors saw alerts for unhealthy air. The source of the pollution was, and remains, hundreds of wildfires in eastern Canada, whose smoke is drifting south through the U.S. Midwest and Northeast. This has been a source of annoyance for many Americans; on Wednesday, an old South Park song called “Blame Canada” went viral. On Thursday, the New York Post co-opted the song title for its cover. But Canada is not truly responsible for this ongoing health crisis of wildfire smoke in the Eastern United States. That honor goes to climate polluters and climate obstructionists: those who have prevented action to slow climate change, despite knowing extreme weather events like these would become more frequent and deadly as a result. It is a direct result of climate inaction that wildfire season is starting earlier, lasting longer, and burning more area. It is a direct result of climate inaction that hotter, drier weather and longer fire seasons have become more common. Regarding these particular wildfires in Canada, it will take months for researchers to determine exactly how much climate change influenced them. But it’s safe to say these fires are exactly in line with climate scientists’ predictions of unprecedented events that would occur without action. As Yale Climate Connections reports:
News outlet after news outlet has made it clear: the Canadian wildfires, and the resulting air pollution blanketing the U.S., are what climate change looks like. And while Canada is responsible for a good chunk of historical emissions that have caused the climate crisis, they share that responsibility with many other, much higher-polluting countries—including the United States. The pollution blanketing the Eastern U.S. skies should thus not primarily serve as an opportunity to make jokey jabs at Canada. It should primarily serve as a solemn reminder that the consequences of global warming aren’t limited by geography. This is a reminder of climate injustice that the Eastern United States doesn’t often get—at least not compared to more vulnerable countries and regions. The past two weeks alone, a record-breaking heat wave in Puerto Rico reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit; Spain recorded its hottest spring ever; and Super Typhoon Mawar hit Guam with 140 mph winds. Vulnerable populations are keenly aware that you don’t have to cause extreme weather in order to suffer from it. For many in the United States, it can be easy to forget that emissions—and inaction around them—have consequences. But climate change, like smoke, knows no borders. So if you forget, it will eventually remind you—just as it is now reminding the East Coast. Hot off the pressesCanada is in no way off the hook for climate policy obstruction—but why blame America’s Hat for your climate woes when there are so many better targets this week?
Catch of the day: Moby the labradoodle is enjoying a day out with reader Steven in West Virginia University’s agricultural forest. No wildfires here! Just pups and healthy trees. Want to see your furry (or non-furry!) friend in HEATED? It might take a little while, but we WILL get to yours eventually! Just send a picture and some words to catchoftheday@heated.world. |
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