Climate change is set to escalate wildfire smoke pollution into one of America’s most lethal climate disasters. If global temperatures continue to rise at the current pace, research predicts that 70,000 Americans could die annually from exposure to wildfire smoke by 2050.
Marshall Burke, an environmental economist at Stanford University, emphasizes the groundbreaking nature of these findings. According to Dr. Burke, the data demonstrates the substantial risks that climate change poses to Americans.
Published in the journal Nature, the study projects two million deaths over the next thirty years due to intensified wildfire smoke. It represents the most comprehensive estimate to date of the potential mortality rate associated with worsening wildfire smoke pollution.
The researchers analyzed two decades of death records alongside satellite and ground data to quantify the mortality impact of wildfire smoke exposure.
“This paper is a wake-up call for people,” stated Kai Chen, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health not involved in the study. “It illustrates that this issue extends nationwide and is closely linked to climate change.”
In July, the Trump administration considered revoking the endangerment finding, an Obama-era determination asserting that greenhouse gases endanger public health. These gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, result from burning fossil fuels, contributing to global warming.
Since the industrial revolution, Earth has warmed by approximately 1.3 degrees Celsius. The revocation of the endangerment finding could have significant implications for environmental regulations concerning industrial emissions.