According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wildfire smoke can irritate your lungs, cause inflammation, affect your immune system and make you more prone to lung infections, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Amid rising fatalities, the simple act of wearing a mask has, for some, become a proxy for political affiliation or, more accurately, loyalty to President Trump.
The planet's heating trend has ramped up over the last 40 years - as CO2 emissions have skyrocketed. Nineteen of the last 20 years are now the warmest on record.
