"Published in Earth's Future, the paper includes a review of climate projection studies indicating that, on average, warming is likely to continue to lead to drier, more fire-prone summers across many parts of Canada. Although the projected changes may differ by region, and it's not certain how burned areas will change in the future, the projections align with the increases in burned area seen over the past decade."
"Wildfire smoke is a public health concern because it can't be reduced through the same regulatory tools used to address fossil fuel pollution. While the study does not estimate health impacts itself, it draws on earlier research showing that smoke has caused health problems in Canada and other countries. One recent analysis found that wildfire smoke contributes to approximately 40,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone."
Seventy years of air quality and burned-area records show a continent-wide trend toward increased smoke in western North America and improved air quality in the east as industrial emissions declined. Climate projections indicate warming will generally produce drier, more fire-prone summers across many parts of Canada, consistent with increases in burned area over the past decade. Fire-weather conditions driven by climate change are likely to play a growing role in shaping summer air quality in the United States and Canada. Wildfire smoke cannot be reduced by the same regulatory tools used for fossil-fuel pollution and contributes to substantial health impacts, including an estimated 40,000 U.S. deaths annually.
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