The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that rising global temperatures, strong wildfires, and long heatwaves are hurting people’s health and the Earth’s atmosphere.
The annual ‘Air Quality and Climate Bulletin’ from the organization shows that extreme weather caused by climate change, plus harmful smoke and small particles (PM2.5) from lasting wildfires, has made the air quality around the world very bad.
Scope of the Crisis and Environmental Impact: Recent scientific assessments reveal that climate change and air pollution are mutually reinforcing, posing a dual threat to human civilization:
Toxic Wildfire Smoke and Cancer Risk: Severe wildfires across Europe, North America, and Asia have caused an abnormal spike in toxic aerosols and carbon particles in the air. Carried by the wind over hundreds of miles, this toxic smoke inflicts irreparable damage on the lungs and hearts of humans and wildlife alike.
Researchers say that regular risk models did not properly consider the harmful effects of wildfires. This means that the true risk of death was underestimated by up to 93 percent.
Ozone Layer and Microplastic Pollution: High heat and sunlight are leading to harmful ozone forming close to the ground, which is worsening breathing issues and colds. Billions of tons of plastic bits and tiny plastics are now moving through the air because of the links between the atmosphere and oceans. This is a serious warning for the whole world’s ecosystem.
Conclusion and Green Page View: Air quality and climate change are linked. A problem with one will always lead to a big problem for the other.
Green Page believes that we need to act right away to control wildfires, lower carbon emissions, and make air pollution monitoring a top priority in global policy. If not, the Earth’s living world will face a major crisis.
