How long does wildfire smoke last and is it dangerous?
New ScientistAPR 2023
If millions of acres of land burning to the ground and thousands of people being forced to evacuate weren't evidence enough, maybe the fact that millions of people across North America are inhaling smoke right now will show how dangerous climate change is. As the warming atmosphere dries out our land and ignites more and more wildfires, air quality will only deteriorate and people's physical health will follow suit.
While climate change is likely a factor in these wildfires, the best way to deal with this is to design preventative measures to shrink their scope as much as possible. One potential solution is to turn dead trees into biomass energy before they ignite. Governments should invest in turning these trees into woodchips, which, besides preventing future fires, can also be burned and used to produce heat and electricity.