Talk about a blatant and even ridiculously stupid indication of American egocentrism and inflated self-importance. A recent CBC article begins with the title “Canadian wildfire smoke ruining Americans' summer, says letter from Congress members, Letter signed by 6 House representatives from Minnesota and Wisconsin.”
It is stated in the letter that Canadian forest mismanagement and arson are significant causes of the wildfires generating the smoke that is interfering with their summer recreation, lifestyle and family memories. What a guilt trip! Nothing could be further from the truth.
These people fail to recognize the scale of the Canadian landscape. Most of these fires are in extremely remote areas and very difficult to access. The vast majority are lightning caused and they are burning in forests too large to manage for fire control effectively, as if that would make any difference. Boreal type forest covers 60 per cent of Canada’s land mass, an extremely large area.
Not to mention the fact that Canada has been the recipient of US wildfire smoke at times in the past because smoke and wildfires do not care about our borders and we are all vulnerable, not just US residents. These congress members need to give their collective heads a shake and learn about the reality of the situation.
It is strikingly obvious to anyone up to speed on the climate change-related effects on the intensity and size of wildfires. Emissions from the US are one of the biggest factors in global heating and have a scientifically proven impact on the severity of wildfires as well as extreme weather.
Maybe these members of congress ought to do a little self-reflection on their own role in exacerbating the size of these fires that occur in both of our countries, as well as globally. Greenhouse gas and smoke distribution is random globally, dependent on atmospheric currents and that is impossible to control.
Among other things the US government has done recently to Canada, this is just one more indication of the distorted self-perception that goes on south of the border. The US is not the most important country in the world, there is no such thing, and they badly need to accept that, have some positive regard for their friends and neighbours, and get educated about the rest of the planet.
William Lytle-McGhee is a member of qathet Climate Alliance.
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