WASHINGTON – Wildfires will get worse with climate change, not only endangering those near the blazes, but also threatening the health of millions of Americans from wildfire smoke that can drift hundreds of miles, according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
As a result, communities must protect themselves from the health risks arising from exposure to wildfire smoke-including asthma attacks, pneumonia, and more serious chronic lung diseases. And the report, titled “Where There's Fire, There's Smoke,” suggests the country take action to curb the threat of climate change.
Wildfire smoke can pose serious health risks to people hundreds of miles away from the sources of fires,” said Kim Knowlton, a senior scientist in NRDC's Health and Environment Program, who directed the analysis. “Wildfire smoke already clouds the skies of millions of Americans and because climate change will fuel more wildfires, that danger will rise.
“The clear takeaway is that wildfires, smoke and the conditions that increase fire risk are national health concerns that spread well beyond the borders of local fire perimeters, conditions that are only projected to worsen with climate change,” the report says. NRDC used smoke data from federal weather satellites and also looked at the locations of Environmental Protection Agency ground-based air quality monitoring stations.
“We also need better monitoring and early-warning systems for growing health threats, so people will know when the air is unhealthy for vulnerable groups. That's part of making climate change preparedness a national priority. With fire, smoke and other air pollution threats increasingly affected by climate change, all states should be putting health protections in their climate adaptation plans.
“Finally, we must engage in prevention,” said Knowlton. “Climate change threatens the health of every American. We have an obligation to them and future generations we cannot shy from. The president has outlined a plan that rightly takes aim at the heart of the problem, and it deserves our support.”
