The Smoke-Free Dream

I agree, katie! I wonder how this will influence future generations, to expect these sorts of high smoke events as "the norm". As time goes on, fewer and fewer people remember a time where this was not an expected part of each summer. I think that reminding people of climate baselines could be important in establishing realistic goals for management :)

Great post! Its crazy how normal having smoke in the late summer here in vancouver has become. This used to not be such a big issue but it somehow still doesn't seem to be resonating with people that the forest fires are becoming worse.

I remember when I was a child it was very rare for smoke to fill the air to the point where you couldn't see the sky or sun, this all change the summer when Fort McMurray caught on fire. I remember one day the smoke was so thick the sun just looked like a red orb in the sky.

Hi,

Yes this past BC summer was an awful experience with all the smoke and forest fires. This is direct results of intensifying climate change and human effects, which is quite scary. We all need to do our research and put in an effort to reduce our negative effects on our ecosystems and earth.

Hello Katie! It is truly haunting to see the beautiful Vancouver sky filled with smoke and it's sad that I feel like some people have just gotten used to the fact that this time of year will be filled with smoke. I appreciate and thank you for being so optimistic about the future of controlling wildfires during times like this :)

It’s interesting and honestly saddening as how the general public is only becoming aware and seeing the drastic effects of climate change now. For example, as the photo you have shared with us is a very educative photo, however, this only grabs people’s attention because ‘it is destroying their precious view.’ This accumulation of wildfires and other climate change effects have been accumulating for decades. This isn’t a new upcoming crisis. These events are becoming worse and worse and more prevalent because GHGs have been piling up from human impacts. Therefore, I also hope that it is not too late and that the whole world catches on and makes a change. Especially as we have such amazing technology and evolutionary advances that make it possible.

This picture perfectly recreates my childhood, and the feeling of smoke and difficulty in breathing comes back to my mind.

Very good pictures, I think these pictures with strong sensory stimulation can be used as a good way to educate the masses (of course strong sensory stimulation does not mean cruelty, gore and inhumane things etc).

Only recently have we had multiple periods where air quality is amongst the worst in the world, I don't understand why we aren't hearing more about this from politicians. This shouldn't be something that is talked about as a reaction, but as something that is talked about more proactively.

thank you for using a picture, it really helps understand the scope of this problem.

I remember going for a run when the smoke was this bad and didn't realize why I was so dehydrated when I finished! When you have days upon days of smoke you start to notice it less and less but this picture really reminds you on how bad the situation actually looks. Thank you for the visual :)

I really do agree with this sentiment. Wildfires always cause a really big and visible effect on the local community. It's always only during that time does the wider community discuss these issues it's very frustrating. However, maybe we can use times like this to educate and rally for better practices.

This picture made me panic, I live in this area and I tried to take picture of the terrible air condition but I failed due to technical problems, I think people really need to pay some attention about the environmental protection from realizing how bad the condition actually is.

You're right, Katie. The wildfires in Vancouver a few days ago made everyone uncomfortable. It felt like the whole sky was shrouded, like the end of the world. I hope we can provide better ways to alleviate this problem soon so that the air quality will be better and the occurrence of wildfires will be reduced.

Hi Katie, I really like that you included policy-level change in your response. I think many times people are unsure how they can help with issues like climate change which feels much bigger than them but the easiest thing to do is vote and make sure that people with the same values are the ones making the policies.

Hi Katie!

I really resonate with your post - my parents used to tell me growing up how lucky I am to not worry about the air quality whereas for them back in Korea, wearing masks (pre-covid) was the norm due to the poor air quality. However, it looks like poor air quality is slowly becoming the norm for us in Canada too! And I totally agree - we need to support the existing efforts in advocating for change through means like policies and research funding.

Hi Katie Kathiresan, I agree fighting super fires is a not a future I want on our planet for future or current generations. We have become accustomed or turn a blind eye to practices that are fuelling these super fires at a global scale. Preventative management changes need to be made at the regional level and climate change action at the global scale. This will be imperative if we want to secure the future of a healthy Earth.

I love that you incorporated a picture into your post. I agree with education, and advocating for policy level change!

thanks for the post! Given how bad the air quality has been in Vancouver recently, it is shocking to remember that we are among the lucky ones when it comes to wildfire smoke, and other parts of BC have had it much much worse.

Hi Katie! I agree we as a society need to support and advocate for wild-fire control! Great post!

Such a nice and positive post! Pretty shocking picture though, looks more like Delhi which is infamous for its pollution levels.

hi Katie, thank you for emphasizing the effect of climate change, I think among all the solutions that target the cause, the most difficult but most deadly one is climate change. In order to solve this, systematic changes and government enforcement are essential.

We totally need to spread awareness on the possible solutions to this problem so our policy makers can enact them!

I like the emphasis on educating others regarding wildifre concerns and also supporting citizen science projects!

Great post, and the photo is a beautiful touch!