Image sourced from NPR.
Wildfires have been ravaging the California ecosystem for years now. Unfortunately, wildfires do not just affect those who can see their flames on the west coast. At different times within this past year, the eastern half of the United States watched in awe as skies filled with smoke, blanketing the country in gray and red hues.
One major issue that has resulted from the wildfire crisis in California is air pollution. The smoke coming from the fires is composed of microscopic particles of carbon and particulate matter, which can lodge itself deep in one’s lungs. Shockingly, these particles made their way into the atmosphere and traveled over 3,000 miles within the past year, stretching from California all the way to eastern regions of Canada.
These fires are becoming increasingly more common, which can largely be attributed to climate change. Climate change affects both the duration and magnitude of wildfires. According to a study by NPR, over 17 million Americans live in a region where the air is considered to be a hazard due to fires, while over 50 million Americans have experienced poor air quality to some degree. Simultaneously, 1 in 7 Americans in 2020 were exposed to hazardous air quality, demonstrating how far thick smoke can travel.
The group of fires known as the River Complex, which started July 30, 2021, burned 199,343 acres of California land before it was 100% contained. Meanwhile, the KNP Complex, which started September 10, 2021, is only 80% contained, and has burned 88,307 acres of California land. With climate change at the helm, the climate is becoming increasingly dryer, resulting in wildfire seasons starting sooner and ending later than the year before.
The impact of these fires spreads beyond the smoke. There are cultural and social effects as well, which are shown in the ways that the fires have affected specific Skidmore students. Our campus is composed of students from all over the nation (and world), including the American west coast. Audrey SooHoo ‘22, a tennis player here at Skidmore, is originally from the Bay Area. When talking about experiencing the fires back home, she reflected on how she “couldn’t see the sun because the smoke covered everything” and that she was unable to practice tennis when the air quality was dangerous. She also remembered how her high school classmates would complain about feeling lightheaded from the intense smoke. SooHoo’s high school experience was sculpted by her surrounding environment, each move dictated by the course of the fires.
Meanwhile, Meghan Robertson ‘23, of Riverside, California, has experienced the brutal reality of the wildfires through the eyes of her grandparents. Her grandparents had lived in Willits, a town in Northern California. However, in 2018, they were forced to evacuate their home due to the fires, spending nights in their car with their dogs with nowhere to turn, as their closest family members were an 8 hour drive away. With cell phone towers down, Robertson noted that the only way they were able to get updates from her grandparents was from the news, as other forms of communication were cut off. Eventually, her grandparents were forced to move to Southern California due to how the fires ravaged the north.
Health concerns from wildfires can range in severity, but ultimately can be lethal, especially to those with underlying heart or lung conditions. There are extra precautions one can take to protect themselves from the effects of wildfires. Wearing a mask and stocking up on non-perishable foods are measures that can provide an extra layer of security, not only during wildfire season, but also during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many fires, such as the River Complex, have been fully contained, the West Coast is still being ravaged by flames. With climate change still having a firm grip on America, these patterns of growing fires don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The magnitude of these fires in recent years has only increased, which can be seen through smoke covering the United States and traveling all the way to the east coast.