(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Climate Brief:Fires now burning in every Canadian province except Prince Edward Island &Nunavut [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-09 Fires are now burning in every Canadian province except for Prince Edward Island and Nunavut, a frigid northern region where trees cannot survive. The area of land burned by wildfires in the last six weeks has almost reached the 10-year average for the whole fire season Cumulative weekly area burned in Canada from the start of fire season, millions of hectares www.theguardian.com/… . WILDFIRES IN PICTURES visual guide to the Canada wildfires and US smoke pollution www.theguardian.com/… There are more than 400 fires burning across Canada, with many out of control Where are the fires and why are they so bad? There are more than 400 wildfires burning across Canada, with many out of control, according to officials. The fires are unusual in their timing, size and location. The “fire season”, when weather conditions are ripe for conflagrations, has only just begun. A third of the fires are in the boreal forest in the eastern province of Quebec, a place not used to dealing with large blazes. Read more www.theguardian.com/... What is causing this? Forest fires are not new for Canada but, much like in other places such as California, scientists have found fire seasons are getting longer and more intense due to the climate crisis. www.theguardian.com/... hazy skies were caused by plumes of smoke from the Canadian fires when winds funnelled the haze first to Ottawa and Toronto and then directly into many of the major population centers of the US east coast Looking at the White House Through Wildfire Smoke This week, elected officials can see for themselves why they must get serious about climate change In the morning, the local government announced that the air-quality index for the District of Columbia had reached Code Purple (“very unhealthy”), because of the level of particulate pollution, which has never happened before. News came that some outlying areas had stepped up even further to Code Maroon (“hazardous”); Wednesday had been bad in D.C., but was only Code Red (“unhealthy”). (Someone may need to work on the alert color scheme; somehow “maroon” doesn’t quite conjure up the necessary adrenaline.) Basically, you can chew the air; it’s Code Grim. By Bill McKibben Our Local Correspondents New Yorker magazine Trying to Breathe in a City of Smoke As the world warms and Canada burns, what once seemed unprecedented is becoming familiar. Links: The global warming effect of leaked hydrogen is almost 12 times stronger than CO 2 , shows a new study by CICERO, a climate research center, published in Communications Earth & Environment . from Nature.org: "The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons." About 20% of greenhouse gases in the US come from homes amp.cnn.com/… 🌎 HELP SAVE THE PLANET AND OURSELVES: *Turn out the lights when- not in use/use less* Turn down the heat or AC vent out at night if cooler Avoid creating nighttime light pollution Don’t waste water Avoid burning wood (or other things), as wood fires are both pollutant and carcinogenic Don't use pesticides Limit your use of cars and planes (if possible) Don't use gas powered vehicles Take out grass and put in a garden or pond (or xeriscape ) xeriscape ) Mow, blow, and whack with electric or by hand Plant for the animals (bees, birds etc) Plant trees Don't micro manage yards, go wilder Try to use solar Take a bus, trolley or train Encourage your city/town to use electric buses Use energy efficient products or products that work on clean fuels Reduce dependence on non-biodegradable items Walk, bike or carpool Reuse items- give to Goodwill or Craig's list rather than dumping Cut down or cease eating meat Use reusable carry bags for grocerie; second choice, paper bags; not plastic Compost Save the bees Be informed Write your representative, sign petitions E lect pro-environment candidates and demand action Support the Green New Deal Get involved March Blog about the environment Control population 🌎 Earth Matters with Meteor Blades Earth Matters with Meteor Blades [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/9/2174396/-Climate-Brief-Fires-now-burning-in-every-Canadian-province-except-Prince-Edward-Island-amp-Nunavut Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/