The National Interagency Fire Center reports 79 large active wildfires in the US, with 31 in Oregon alone.
Smoke from these fires has triggered air quality alerts in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Alberta, Canada.
Residents are advised to stay indoors, use air purifiers and wear masks if they must go outside.
Why this matters:
Wildfire smoke poses significant health risks, especially for children and those with preexisting health conditions. Understanding and mitigating these risks is crucial for public health and safety.
If the world overshoots its climate targets, drought could cause dryland areas to expand by a quarter and encompass half the Earth’s land area, threatening lives and livelihoods.
The argument against major hydropower projects — ravaged ecosystems and large-scale displacement of people — is well known. But dam critics now say that climate change should spell the end of big hydropower.
