LETTER: Climate change, not Canada, is smoke air-pollution culprit 

To Ozaukee Press:

Wisconsin Reps. Tom Tiffany and Glenn Grothman recently joined other Republican members of Congress in sending a letter to the Canadian government alleging that its poor forest management practices are responsible for out-of-control wildfires and for this summer’s air quality problems in our state.  

Notably, the letter fails to mention climate change, and when Tiffany was asked about its contribution to the increase in wildfires, he responded, “I think climate has always been changing.” 

However, although fire-management practices can play a role in these megafires, climate change also has a profound impact.  In the words of Natural Resources Canada: 

“Warmer-than-average temperatures, decreased levels of snowpack, low soil moisture and elevated drought conditions are indicators that climate change is impacting the frequency, size and range of wildland fires in Canada. 

In its journal Fire Management Today, the U.S. Forest Service stated: “Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation and snowmelt patterns are increasing the severity and size of wildfires in the west.”  

The reason is that hotter temperatures evaporate soil moisture and dry vegetation, making it more likely to burn.  Tiffany’s letter emphasizes, “Our constituents have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe due to the dangerous air quality the wildfire smoke has created.”

Significantly, in 2019, 174 medical and public health groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, released a statement declaring: “Climate change is one of the greatest threats to health America has ever faced—it is a true public health emergency.” 

In order to deal with climate-driven threats, we must first recognize them.  Urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions and funding adaptation should be top priorities for every politician who cares about public health and the future we all want.

Terry Hansen

Milwaukee