Smoke from wildfires in Canada is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility in much of the US Midwest. The Great Lakes region bordering Canada has been particularly affected by unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality, as shown in maps from the National Weather Service and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
In metropolitan Chicago, Illinois, where the skyline was only faintly visible through the haze on Tuesday, the mayor called on children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with heart and lung conditions to avoid strenuous activities and spend little time outdoors.
“Cities across North America have experienced unhealthy air quality this summer from wildfire smoke, affecting more than 20 million people in New York, Washington DC, Montreal and here in Chicago today,” Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. This “disturbing episode” highlights the detrimental effects of the climate crisis on the city’s residents and on people around the world.
Numerous fires have been raging in Canada for weeks. In early June, smoke enveloped parts of the US East Coast and caused the worst air quality in decades in metropolitan New York. Even in Portugal, a cloud of smoke is currently darkening the sky – according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), this is also coming from the fires in Canada.
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