Smoke from the West Coast wildfires reached Quinnipiac’s campuses over 3,000 miles away on Tuesday, Sept. 15., creating an orange-like tint in the sky.
If the smoke plume drops, it would cause issues with air quality. But what does this haze mean for climate change and Quinnipiac students who live on campus?
The fires can cause smoke and other particles in the air. This causes gray or orange skies, depending on how bad the fires are. The haze can then spread, causing bad air quality in certain areas, which can cause respiratory issues and health problems. Climate change is making the situation worse, due to gradual warming of the planet, which is accelerating as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. This causes an increase in hotter temperatures, which also causes a higher risk of wildfires.
“A plume of smoke from the wildfires in Oregon and California made it to Connecticut yesterday. It’s not unusual for the smoke to be overhead from distant wildfires – though this is one of the densest plumes I can remember,” Ryan Hanrahan, a meteorologist for NBC News, said.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) reports on how clean or polluted the air in an area is, along with how bad breathing in the current outdoor air is for public health.
The forecast is available in 400 US cities, which allow you to view air quality across the US and Canada through regional maps. The index is on a scale from zero to 500. 0-50 being the cleanest and 500 being the worst air quality. You can also check the World Air Quality Index for more information on countries around the globe and their air quality.
“Thankfully, there are no air quality issues here as the smoke is approximately 15,000 feet up in the atmosphere,” Hanrahan said. “In California and Oregon, the smoke is much closer to the ground. The smoke itself isn’t necessarily bad for the environment but it is a symptom of a bigger problem. Climate change is making these fires worse and that’s something everyone on earth should be worried about.”
This information along with the haze brings worry to the students of Quinnipiac University when it comes to things like climate change and how it can affect us as a whole country.
“I know climate change is real and we definitely need a change,” Corey Kremberg, a senior media studies major at Quinnipiac, said. “It’s about working on the little things first. Even switching to non plastic straws helps. I do think it should be talked about more widely though. And honestly, climate change will affect every state and place on earth. I think that QU should take notice and set an example of truly recycling and maybe making a class on sustainability and make global warming part of our required education.”