Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says

Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says

LOS ANGELES — As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until one day she had so much trouble breathing she was rushed to the emergency room. … Read more

Converting cow manure to fuel is growing climate solution, but critics say communities put at risk

Converting cow manure to fuel is growing climate solution, but critics say communities put at risk

PIXLEY, Calif. — The stench of cow feces, urine and ammonia forces residents to keep windows and doors closed in parts of California’s farming country. Some people constantly run air purifiers at home to counter the smell and, they say, fight off air-related ailments. “We have a lot of health problems going around in this … Read more

Wildfire smoke from Canada is prompting health warnings in the U.S. again

Wildfire smoke from Canada is prompting health warnings in the U.S. again

Wildfires raging across Western Canada are sending smoke south of the border and prompting health warnings in several northern U.S. states for a second straight year. Air quality advisories were issued Sunday for parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin due to haze emitting from fires burning in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and … Read more

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes upper Midwest for second straight year

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes upper Midwest for second straight year

MADISON, Wis. — Smoke from Canadian wildfires has prompted health warnings across the upper Midwest for the second straight year. Fires raging in British Columbia and Alberta sent the haze over parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin on Sunday, lingering into Monday morning. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued its first air quality … Read more

Where people are moving to escape poor air quality

Where people are moving to escape poor air quality

Eduardo Munoz Alvarez | Getty Images While both renters and homeowners are beginning to take climate hazards into consideration, affordability continues to drive moving trends. Between 2021 and 2022, about 1.2 million more homeowners and renters moved out of than moved into U.S. cities with high risk of poor air quality, according to a new … Read more

Air Pollution Is Ruining Your Skin

Air Pollution Is Ruining Your Skin

In June last year, a series of devastating wildfires tore through the Canadian province of Quebec, sending huge plumes of acrid smoke drifting across North America. Three hundred miles away in Boston, dermatologist Shadi Kourosh noticed something strange. “We had an unusual spike in dermatology visits,” says Kourosh, who is director of community health in … Read more