$1 Trillion in American Wages Has Gone Up in Wildfire Smoke
The toxic haze is a nightmare for health and productivity.
It’s not easy to drive a truck or a bulldozer when you can’t breathe.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The climate emergency has produced several on-the-nose metaphorical moments lately, such as an art museum founded by oil baron J. Paul Getty being threatened by the Palisades fire in Los Angeles in January or a superyacht’s fireworks sparking a wildfire in Greece last year. But nothing tops how more than $1 trillion in US wages has gone up in literal smoke from fires hundreds of miles away, according to a new study.
It’s a reminder that climate change is no longer a problem for our grandchildren but is inflicting profound economic and health damage right now. It’s also a reminder there are few if any places to hide from the consequences of our failure to address this crisis.