The Big Story Canada’s challenging wildfire season: why its impact goes beyond the smoke
Jun 24, 2025
Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford Children’s Health and Executive Director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, dives into Canada's alarming wildfire season. She discusses how climate change fuels these disasters and highlights the hidden dangers of wildfire smoke, especially for children's health. Listeners learn about the urgent need for proactive measures and cleaner energy solutions to protect vulnerable populations. Patel also addresses the battle against misinformation in climate science, calling for public engagement to tackle these pressing issues.
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Climate Change Drives Wildfires
- Climate change causes worsening heat waves and wildfires, creating a "planet fever."
- Without action, these environmental disasters will continue to escalate.
Wildfire Smoke Is Chronic Exposure
- Wildfire smoke exposure is no longer rare but becoming chronic for many, even outside immediate fire areas.
- This ongoing exposure poses long-term health risks, especially for children with developing lungs.
Wildfire Smoke's Toxicity Revealed
- Wildfire smoke contains extremely toxic particulate matter and other harmful chemicals like heavy metals and carcinogens.
- It's about ten times more harmful than regular air pollution and drives millions of premature deaths worldwide.