According to a recent report by the World Meteorological Organization, longer droughts and more frequent heatwaves caused by global warming are igniting wildfires that harm air quality (WMO).
The extensive effects on ecosystems and human health have been called a “climate penalty.”
“As the globe warms, wildfires and associated air pollution are expected to increase, even under a low-emissions scenario,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “In addition to human health impacts, this will also affect ecosystems as air pollutants settle from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface.”
“This is a foretaste of the future because we expect a further increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves, which could lead to even worse air quality, a phenomenon known as the ‘climate penalty’,” he said.
This fine is in reference to the amplified generation of ground-level ozone as a result of climate change.
High-altitude ozone, which protects the Earth from the sun’s rays, is not the same as this type of ozone. Ozone at ground level or on the surface is a dangerous contaminant that taints the air we breathe.
The WMO paper focuses on the wildfire smoke in 2021, when wildfires in western North America and Siberia raised levels of PM2.5, or particulate tiny matter, which is detrimental to human health and has a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less.
