This new normal of near-constant wildfire smoke annoys me as much as the next person. But it serves as a reminder that we share one fragile atmosphere that we’re collectively screwing up. Fruitless to waste all this energy pointing fingers like children when we should be joining hands to fix this. It’s like nature’s warning signal.

Whether it be wildfire smoke, a global pandemic, or heat waves, nature know no geopolitical borders. So maybe instead of squabbling over whose smoke is whose, we could acknowledge that we’re all in this smoldering mess together. We only have one planet to live on, and we only have one atmosphere to breathe from.

(just food for thought)

  • giantshortfacedbear@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’ve not seen, or perhaps not paid attention to, any blame game. This is exactly what all the modeling for climate change predicts, and it’s gonna get worse. So if people want to point fingers, the list of countries and industries that have produced most CHG gases ever, and currently, is easily available online.

  • AngryMulbear@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    1 year ago

    We need to start taking forest management seriously in this country.

    Human development has disrupted the natural forest cycle, and putting out every fire that threatens us is only making things worse. Couple that with the unknown consequences of climate change going forward, we need to be far more proactive than reactive.

  • nbailey@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    1 year ago

    Some people seem to think that you can rope off a “designated peeing area” in the swimming pool…

    We all share one climate – it doesn’t matter where in the world you burn the coal or where the fires break out, we all suffer together. That’s the reality that a lot of people all over the world don’t seem to be willing to understand.

  • 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Wrong… Blame fossil fuel industry, blame the auto industry, blame tax cuts that result in the defunding of forestry management. and then most of all, blame ourselves for enabling all of the above

    THEN we can join hands and fix this

    • T0rrent01@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      You’re 100% right. But my point is, international cooperation is key, and every country has a part to play. As we’ve all seen during the COVID pandemic politicizing natural disasters is a recipe for disaster, and unfortunately, it appears as though we haven’t learnt a thing.

      • YarRe@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        We have. Politicians who gobble fossil industry cock do not care. This is intentional and no amount of “learning” helps as long as oligarchs exist. Sorry.

        • juusukun@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          “politicizing disasters” to me just sounds like exploring the possibility that there are people and actions to blame…

          • HappyExodus@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Disasters are kinda act of God. But doubling the odds (prob more like 10x) of having one is a human decision.

  • fleet@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’ve seen no mention of forest management in this thread. I’m no expert, and I realise this issue is a few concurrent problems, but it is, at least, partially Canada’s fault for allowing clearcut forestry methods on such a broad scale. Old growth forests are somehwat resistant to fires. The undergrowth burns, but many trees do not. The “forests” planted by the forestry industry are essentially monocultures and they burn hot and burn fast.

  • Mamertine@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    American here. I was browsing all and saw this.

    I’m not blaming Canada. I’m not aware that anyone is blaming Canada. The smoke comes from Canada. I’m frustrated with the smoke. So are you.

    IMO it’s like when a Canada goose shits in my yard. Im angry at the goose not Canada.

    • Midnight_Ice@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yeah but how do you know we didn’t send that goose on a mission to shit in your yard? Maybe you should be mad at Canada.

  • GrindingGears@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    It’s actually a normal natural process that needs to happen. It’s the only way Lodgepole Pines regenerate for instance (their pods need heat to crack open to release seeds). This is actually a healthy thing, for the environment anyways. Fires aren’t bad, it’s the methods we use to intervene and plan, and our development planning that’s the real issue.

    • joshhsoj1902@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      The size of these fires aren’t good though.

      When people talk about fires being good for an ecosystem they are talking about smaller fires where afterwards biodiversity is able to recover. With individual fires as large as we’re having it takes a very long time for biodiversity to recover.

      • juusukun@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yup! I recently read about aboriginal tribes doing controlled burns during the winter, rainy seasons etc. They even noticed certain plants would grow more afterwards, attract certain animals etc

        • T0rrent01@lemmy.worldOP
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Hey I don’t mean to nitpick but the preferred term nowadays is “First Nations”, thank you

      • Smk@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        They are basically the US but with healthcare and French people!

        • Cl1nk@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          The Healthcare is a total wreck. Here you get a 50 % chance of surviving instead of a 100% of going broke

              • Smk@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                1 year ago

                That only means that healthcare need more funding, not that healthcare is bad.

                If I were to find one case, just like that in the US, would you say that no healthcare is bad ?

                • Cl1nk@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  I agree, one case is not enough to justify calling the whole system a wreck. The general state, any day each hospital and more clinics are overloaded and very inefficient.

                  Lots of medical personnel left during the pandemic and never hired enough to make up for the loss.

                  I’ve had care in private hospitals in other places (poorer countries) and they were at least an order of magnitude better. The hyperbole of total wreck mostly means my disappointment in the system

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    Welcome to the dystopian future … where we argue and fight with one another and maybe even start at a war or two about why our planet is falling apart … rather than admitting we are all the problem and that we should do something about it.

    • T0rrent01@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      The massive overreaction and resistance to COVID mandates gives us a bitter taste of what’s to come. Like, if a certain segment of the population can’t even handle relaxing at home for a little while and wearing pieces of cloth, they’ll sure be in for a rough awakening once the severity of the climate situation necessitates measures like, I don’t know, vegetarian mandates due to meat shortages, outdoor or N95 mask mandates for all the smoke like we’re seeing now, or water rationing like what California has been doing for drought.

  • jerkface@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    1 year ago

    You know what? Whether or not these wildfires are a direct consequence of Canadian climate policy or not, Canada does not get nearly the blame it deserves for continually raping this planet and its people.