Ema Miele
As of June 9th, 2023, there were 427 wildfires burning throughout Canada. These wildfires have been widely talked about and are a main factor in the climate crisis. Numerous people lost their homes living in Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia causing them to evacuate. These wildfires started from lightning, but got worse due to human activities. These fires got out of hand due to us, isn’t that startling? Our climate has suffered dangerous consequences such as an increase in carbon dioxide emissions and hazardous air quality.
First and foremost, carbon dioxide emissions warm the planet ultimately causing climate change; the average global temperature has increased by two degrees Fahrenheit since 1910. The excess amount of emissions from these fires will further warm the planet fueling more heat waves and wildfires. Since they have started, there has been a record breaking of 270 million tons of greenhouse gasses released. Carbon dioxide exposure can lead to rapid breathing, confusion, and elevated blood pressure. Human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide amount by 50%! As of June 13th, 10.6 million acres have been burned. To put this into perspective, one football field is around 1.32 acres. Shocking, right?
Besides carbon dioxide emissions, imagine waking up and not being able to breathe. This was the reality for most of the east coast. The skies were turning orange, but not in a sunset way. They were orange from the amount of smoke from Canada making its way over. Air quality was horrible making most places 300 which if you don’t know, is very unhealthy. Denser places like New York City and Bethlehem hit a staggering 500! This is extremely hazardous and staying outside in this air quality can cause a variety of issues such as lung diseases, heart failure, heart attacks, irritation of throat and eyes, and strokes. These high air qualities can additionally affect household pets. Visualize taking your dog for a walk and they start coughing; wouldn’t you be terrified? If your pets can not handle the air, imagine the wildlife.
Now, what can humans do to prevent fires like this from starting or becoming worse? One of the main things that we can do is to simply check the weather! When it’s hot, dry, or windy we should prevent doing activities that involve fire like burning debris and building campfires. When 4th of July comes around, be mindful of fireworks; they may be fun, but they aren’t worth the risk! Another way to prevent these fires from spreading is to carefully dispose of smoking materials. We understand that you need to throw them out, but when you do, soak the cigarette butts with water. Whatever you do, do not toss these on the ground. Additionally, a large number of people surprisingly do not camp responsibly. Numerous people leave their campfires unattended which is not safe at all. These fires can easily spread causing either a forest fire, or worsening an ongoing one. A further way to prevent these terrible fires may be shocking to you! It’s as uncomplicated as not mowing the lawn after 10 in the morning. The California Wildland Fire Coordinating Group recommends doing it early, before temperatures are at their peak. The metal blades underneath your mower can easily spark a fire if they strike something. Lastly, be mindful of your vehicles. The leading reason why the air quality got poor was because people drove around without a care. The vapors that are given off when gasoline evaporates have greenhouse gasses. You will just be adding to the already polluted atmosphere!
We need to start looking after the planet more so natural disasters like this do not get worse. The effects of the wildfires in not just Canada, but also California could have been less severe. If you want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, start by shopping locally, recycling, and volunteering to clean your community! These are all simple actions that help the climate immensely. As frightening as things have gotten, we can reverse some of the damage. Start now, it’s not too late.
Ema Miele is a high school student at Moravian Academy who is interested in chemistry and environmental science. She is passionate about making the world more sustainable, and hopes to pursue this career path later on.
Since I was younger, I’ve always been passionate about sustainability. My father always taught me various topics about it, and my love for helping the environment has grown. In ‘The Orange “Sunset’, I wanted to capture the horrible outcomes of the 2023 Canadian wildfires. My family in Canada was greatly affected, as well as my family here. It was extremely hard to breathe outside in Pennsylvania, so I could just imagine how terrible it was for my family in Canada. I hope to spread awareness on how climate change contributes to these disasters, and what we can do to help.
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