Dispatch from a world on fire

(Sierra Club) – The smoke pollution from Canadian wildfires last summer killed more than 100 people in Michigan – about two dozen in Detroit alone, according to a Cornell University study. Other Detroiters, like June Mack, saw their medical conditions worsen dramatically. Mack, a retiree living in Northwest Detroit who has asthma, was confined to her home and still could not escape the smoke’s impact. She suffered vertigo and double vision that required her to wear an eye patch and give up driving for months. And it left her worrying about the effectiveness and cost of her asthma inhaler. Mack told, “I’m concerned that if the air quality is still bad…will [it] work? Or do I have to go to something else more expensive?” Related Stories Wildfire smoke and its impacts have long been an issue for many in the western United States. But the fires there are getting worse there too. They are getting worse everywhere. It is climate change in action. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of July 6, 150,082 acres had burned so far this year in wildland fires in the state. That is nearly four-and-a-half times the 5-year average (34,257...