The city of New York is still blanketed by smoke as Canada's raging wildfires blow southward and into the air along the East Coast of the U.S. The event led New York City Officials to release air quality warnings on June 7, urging residents to avoid going outside whenever possible.
Despite the state of emergency, many people are forced to move on with their everyday lives, doing their best to don the n-95 masks recommended for outdoor wear. But writer and journalist David Roberts is concerned about the long-haul effects of the wildfires.
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Roberts runs the clean energy and politics newsletter "Volts", so he's thinking about the future based on data from today. "Every bit of new science on particulate air pollution (what [East Coasters are] breathing) [...] has pointed in the same direction: it's worse than we thought. The effects are more pervasive & long-lasting. There is no safe dosage," he tweets.
"Even short-term exposure can cause lasting health problems," he goes on. "Children & people with compromised immune systems are terribly vulnerable."
"In addition to the misery, this bout of smoke is going to be an enormous drain on the economy," he predicts. "Short-term & long-term health costs, lost work days, lost child care, canceled nights out, etc. etc. And if it goes on a while, you can expect mental health costs as well."
As he continues his thread, Roberts starts to look at the economic landscape of what's happening. "A certain kind of economist looks at climate models & says, 'eh, we'll be richer in the future, we'll just adapt.'"
"In what way can we meaningfully 'adapt' to air being filled with smoke more & more frequently?," he asks. "What can money get us in this situation? [...] Not everyone will be able to stay inside [... and] huddling indoors for weeks sucks."
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