So it has come to this. A nation on its knees, struggling to breathe under extreme heat and choking smoke. For millions of Americans this morning if you go outside, you will be be hit by a wall of smoke or unrelenting heat.
Ask anyone on the East Coast of Canada or the US recently about their air quality, and they will tell you the same story. They will tell you that the acrid choking air from Canada’s wildfires has made their lives miserable over the last few weeks, with residents experiencing the worse air quality in years.
The data does not lie. Climate scientists are deeply concerned about rocketing sea and air temperatures, occurring even before a predicted El Nino event in the Pacific, which normally fuels temperatures even further.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are a prominent environmental defender sentenced to five years in prison on false tax charges by a country that is increasingly trying to silence activists and academics.
Although we are only in May, it has already been a brutal fire season in the Pacific Northwest of Canada and the USA. In Canada, millions have already endured record-breaking temperatures in excess of 90F (32 degrees) this month.
The glossy website for the African Oil Summit in London last week called the event “Africa’s premier global energy conference”. Partners included some of the biggest international oil companies such as BP, Shell, Eni, E.on and Total.
