Wildfires, heatwaves endanger air quality, health: UN
Summary
Wildfires and heatwaves are worsening air pollution and threatening human health, according to the UN’s weather and climate agency. The WMO warns that toxic smoke, ozone, and microplastics are increasingly harmful and poorly monitored worldwide.
Key Points
- The World Meteorological Organization says wildfires and heatwaves are generating microscopic pollutants that undermine efforts to improve air quality and protect health.
- The report links climate change to more frequent and intense heatwaves and wildfires, with wildfire smoke posing severe health risks through PM2.5 pollution.
- The WMO warns that ground-level ozone, black carbon, and microplastics are also major and growing air pollution concerns.
- Conventional air-quality models may underestimate wildfire-related deaths, while fire-smoke events and exposure have increased globally.
