I am so dead on this topic.
I have no idea what I can say about this.
Fire, a natural thing to me, a few years ago I was trying to blame that 'Humans are the cause of wildfire!', but my thought was destroyed after I'd done some research...it turned out that humans have almost nothing to do with wildfire...
Air? To be 200% honest, I think it's perfectly fine now. The reason why I think this way is because I've experienced some 'Real Air Quality Disaster', not like the wildfire smoke which lasts 2 or 3 weeks, but some PM2.5 problem lasts 1 or 2 years straight. To be 300% honest, I am satisfied with the air quality now in Canada (except the smell of weed every night in Richmond, I hate that thing).
However, 'I am satisfied' does not equal 'there's no more air quality problem in the rest of the world' . I wish this situation could remain like this for a little longer in countries that have relatively good air quality, and turn better years later. I also wish these countries could put more effort into increasing global air quality, provide your tech, your money, your people, and stop complaining all day long pretending to work.
Sorry about this dry post, I will just comment more if I have more ideas.
Apathy in the face of what seems like an insurmountable challenge, especially for a single individual to do anything about, is a natural response. I agree that the air quality in Vancouver is, discounting our yearly wildfire haze, fantastic, and as a result we may feel like thee isn't a major problem in the world. I think it's so important to, as you said, consider the world around us, and realize that just because we have it good, doesn't mean that it isn't a problem in other places.
Interesting post! I haven't really though about how bad air quality in some areas might be compared to what we consider bad air quality here in canada. Although I think fires are a serious issue that will continue to get worse if no action is taken, I think that good air quality should be a global standard so everyone has clean air.
I also agree the smell of weed is horrible and I hate smelling it just walking around on campus :(
Hi! Your title really caught my attention because I also did not know what I could say about the air quality in Canada. Ranting about the 2-3 weeks of bad air quality in the summer seemed kinda privileged since I know many countries, such as South Korea, suffer from dust storms and bad air quality for many months. However, I do believe that if we do not take action now to solve the problem, we might be faced with the same problems as other countries.
Hey Robert!
I appreciate your honesty here! Your stream of consciousness style is a breath of fresh air.
I also struggled to think of a solution for this topic. Oftentimes, we think we have the answer, but when you look further into it, you realize you don't. These issues are complicated! In the end, we may cause more damage than would have occurred without human intervention. As one person mentioned in the Nature of Things video..."nature does its job better than any of us."
You said that some countries should "provide [their] tech, [their] money, [their] people, and stop complaining all day long pretending to work." I'd be interested to know what you mean by this. Do you think there is too much talk about addressing global environmental issues (e.g. COP26) and not enough action from governments? If so, what specific ways should governments provide resources for countries with poor air quality?