"#Wildfire smoke is responsible for the dominant air pollutant degrading air quality in this region and across much of #Colorado: PM 2.5, shorthand for particulates that are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, which can burrow deep in the lungs and cause major health problems."
Quotes:
"The fires in Chile came amid a heat wave that pushed temperatures in the capital city of Santiago to about 37 C (nearly 100 F). Extreme heat bakes moisture from wood, turning it into ideal fuel."
"The increased number of droughts as global rain cycles are interrupted means whole regions can be left unusually parched and more vulnerable to ignition. “Climate change has made droughts more common,” said Mitchard. “And that’s especially happened in South America this year."
"Climate change makes stronger El Niños more likely, said Mitchard, and droughts caused by it are likelier to be more intense. Last month, Colombia’s government declared a disaster over dozens of wildfires associated with the weather phenomenon."
"And the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that globally, extreme heat waves happen FIVE TIMES more often because of human-caused global warming. Fire seasons are thus drier with higher temperatures. These are ideal conditions for forest fires to take hold."
"#Oregon’s #cherry harvest, one of the state’s biggest sources of agricultural income, is in dire straits because of #ClimateChange this year, and growers need emergency relief."
#GOP rep:
“Unfortunately, our cherry producers have been facing severe hardships due to unprecedented and adverse weather conditions in Oregon such as ice storms, excessive #heat, and #wildfire smoke impacts caused by a warming #climate.”