Wildfires have become increasingly destructive as climate change alters regional conditions.In California, 2020 saw over 4 million acres burned—a record that surpassed Connecticut’s land area—due to record dryness and seasonal winds like the Diablo and Santa Ana storms .
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earthjustice.orgThese fires, which destroyed one football field of land every three seconds during the Camp Fire in 2018, have spread beyond state borders, with smoke from nearly 900 Canadian wildfires affecting 70 million people in the eastern US in 2023 .
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earthjustice.orgScientific consensus confirms climate change’s role in amplifying extreme weather.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions have increased the frequency and intensity of events like heatwaves, floods, and wildfires.NASA satellite data further supports this trend, showing warming oceans and shifting weather patterns exacerbate these disasters .
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science.nasa.govFor instance, rising temperatures boost atmospheric moisture, intensifying rainfall and flooding.The Fourth National Climate Assessment notes that heavy rain events have grown more frequent and severe, with warmer air holding 7% more moisture per degree Celsius of warming .
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bbc.comHeatwaves, now more deadly than ever, are directly tied to climate change.Global temperatures have risen 1.9°F since 1880, prolonging heat extremes that kill thousands annually in the US Meanwhile, a warming polar vortex disrupts weather systems, causing extreme cold snaps alongside record-breaking warmth .
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lung.orgThese temperature swings strain respiratory health, with wildfire smoke—containing fine particulate matter (PM 2.5)—traveling thousands of miles to degrade air quality and trigger asthma attacks, heart issues, and lung cancer .
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lung.orgDroughts are also worsening as climate change reshapes precipitation patterns.Southern Africa’s 2024 drought, which displaced 1.2 million people in Somalia, is at least 100 times more likely due to human-caused warming.Similarly, the Amazon’s 2023 drought—its worst since records began—highlighted how heatwaves accelerate evaporation, drying soils and fueling wildfires that spread rapidly under strong winds .
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bbc.comCanada’s 2023 wildfire season, its worst on record, exemplifies this trend, with extreme conditions enabling fires to grow at unprecedented rates .
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bbc.comThe health impacts of these changes are profound.Flooding worsens mold growth, aggravating lung diseases like asthma, while rising temperatures boost ground-level ozone pollution, harming respiratory and cardiovascular systems.Wildfire smoke’s reach underscores the global scale of these threats, as pollutants from distant blazes degrade air quality far beyond affected regions .
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lung.orgAddressing these challenges requires urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Policymakers must prioritize transitioning to zero-emission energy and transportation, while individuals can advocate for climate resilience measures.As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the need for coordinated global efforts has never been clearer.
