Canadians pursue policies that directly contradict climate science - EUROPE SAYS
Smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has exposed tens of millions of people across the Great Lakes region, the upper Midwest, and the eastern United States to hazardous air. During the past week,. . .
Smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has exposed tens of millions of people across the Great Lakes region, the upper Midwest, and the eastern United States to hazardous air. During the past week, Toronto’s air pollution ranked among the worst recorded in any major city worldwide. Fine particulate matter in wildfire smoke can aggravate asthma and cause respiratory symptoms, particularly among young children and elderly people. Long-term exposure is associated with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ze’ev Gedalof, director of the Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics Research Lab at the University of Guelph, explained the danger bluntly: “PM2. 5 is especially dangerous because if it gets deep into your lungs, it just doesn’t come out. There is no safe level of exposure to wildfire smoke. ”Despite the severity of the current wildfire season, 2026 is not Canada’s worst by mid-July. The area burned remained well below the totals recorded in 2023 and 2025. What we cannot ignore is that experts believe the severity of the current fire season, affecting millions of acres of land between both countries, is primed by climate extremes. In common with the overwhelming majority of climate scientists, experts at theUniversity of Californiaidentify the burning of fossil fuels as the principal cause of contemporary climate change. The resulting disruption of Earth’secosystemsthreatens human health, food security, water supplies, biodiversity, and the stability of communities worldwide. The United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agencylikewise states that no human activity alters the climate more than the burning of fossil fuels. So how are the federal and provincial Canadian governments of Mark Carney (Canada), Danielle Smith (Alberta), and David Eby (British Columbia) responding to this accelerating crisis?By committing tens of billions of public dollars to subsidies, infrastructure, and incentives that help oil and gas companies increase production. These governments acknowledge climate science, then pursue policies that directly contradict it. They transfer public wealth to immensely profitable corporations, encourage greater fossil-fuel dependence, and leave ordinary people to bear the mounting costs of fires, floods, droughts, extreme heat, illness, displacement, and environmental destruction. The first duty of government is to protect human life and the public interest. Leaders who knowingly intensify a threat to both are not merely failing in that duty. They are betraying it. This is not climate leadership. It is a betrayal of the people governments are supposed to protect—and of the generations who will inherit the consequences. We’ll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough. We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet. Power matters. Sign up for our daily top stories newsletter so you don’t miss how it’s being used—and what comes next. Tags:Climateclimate changeglobal warming