ECHOES OF THE LAST MIND

ORIGIN: https://www.yourweather.co.uk/news/

The 2023 Canadian wildfires burned a record area of forest, but how many people suffered health problems or premature death caused by the air pollution?

Smoke from fires can spread fine air pollution for thousands of miles

Smoke from severe fires in Canada in 2023 sent smoke across North America and also to Europe, polluting the air of around 354 million people, and causing premature death of thousands, scientists have revealed.

Severe wildfires, which took place between May and September 2023, burned 15 million hectares of forest — the equivalent of around 5% of forested land in the country.

The fires were fuelled by record high temperatures and widespread drought conditions across the country. By the end of the year, more than 6,000 fires had torched a staggering 15 million hectares of land, an area larger than England.

The word ‘unprecedented’ doesn’t do justice to the severity of the wildfires in Canada.Fires typically consume an average of 2.5 million hectares of land in Canada every year. But unlike previous years, the 2023 fires were

widespread, from the West Coast