California wildfires

New York officials issued an air quality health advisory for regions across the state, including New York City, Long Island, and New York City Metro. Smoke traveling from wildfires in Canada blanketed much of the state in a brown haze Wednesday, in some cases creating scenes that looked straight out of a disaster movie. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Department of Health issued the advisory over concerns about the levels of pollutants in the air. The state agencies explained in a…

Even as someone who writes about climate all the time, it’s still a shock to see satellite imagery of climate crises, to really get a grasp on how large human influence can be on our warming planet. Here’s how this summer of droughts, heatwaves, floods, and wildfires looked from space.First up, above: Jaw-dropping images of the Cerro Prieto reservoir in northern Mexico show how the reservoir dropped to just 0.5% of its capacity in July, compared to its much fuller state in July 2015. Mexico endured punishing drought…

A forest is smoldering after the Oak Fire near Mariposa, California, on July 24, 2022.Photo: DAVID MCNEW / AFP (Getty Images)A new wildfire exploded in Mariposa County, California on Friday and quickly spread over the weekend. The damage caused by what is now being called the Oak Fire has shut off power for about 2,000 homes and businesses.The flames havereactivated concerns for the safety of hundreds of mature giant sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. Earlier this month, the Washburn Fire came…

News coverage of wildfires tends to focus on the acute events: A blaze erupts, people are evacuated, homes burn down, sometimes lives are lost. And rightfully so—it’s important to know what’s happening as it’s happening. As a result though, there are lots of articles and images out that describe and show flames engulfing forests and communities, and wildlands firefighters battling active burns. But what’s left when the smoke clears?At minimum, it takes years for ecosystems to recover from the worst wildfires. Often, years…