The inhabitants of the American Midwest woke up again, Wednesday, June 28, in an air heavily polluted by the smoke from the fires in Canada. This is the second episode of air pollution linked to these fires this month in the United States.
In Chicago, the third most populous city in the country, the sky is gray for the second day in a row, and some residents have put on masks to move around. Authorities have advised limiting time spent outdoors. Coincidentally, US President Joe Biden arrived in Chicago on Wednesday to talk about the economy.
In Detroit, the air pollution index of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports a level “very harmful” for health.
The smoke is expected to move east and reach the Washington area during the day or night, according to Ryan Stauffer, a NASA air pollution scientist. “One of these events in a year would be remarkable, but this will be our second in a month”he pointed out. on Twitter.
500 forest fires still active
New York authorities also warned residents that the air quality would deteriorate on Wednesday and Thursday, and set up distributions of masks.
Air quality is also poor in Toronto, and is expected to deteriorate sharply during the day in Ottawa, according to Canadian authorities.
Although a study assessing the direct link between climate change and these fires has not yet been conducted, scientists insist that global warming, caused by human activities, generally exacerbates the risk of fires and their intensity.
During a particularly impressive first episode of air pollution at the beginning of the month, having affected the entire northeastern United States, Joe Biden had judged that it was“a stark reminder of the consequences of climate change”.
On Monday, NASA said smoke from the Canadian fires had reached southwestern Europe. She released a satellite image showing a gray cloud over northern Spain and Portugal. But the air quality should remain acceptable there, however, because the smoke is higher in the atmosphere when it arrives in Europe, said NASA.
Newsletter
” Human warmth “
How to face the climate challenge? Each week, our best articles on the subject
Register
Some 500 wildfires are active in Canada right now, half of which are considered out of control. In particular, Quebec is experiencing a historic and particularly early fire season. This crisis is likely to continue, because the peak of summer is far from being reached, and follows a very dry spring.