Science
Wildfire pollution causes long-term health and climate damage, Clean Air Fund warns
July 13, 2026 at 06:25 PM
A letter published by the Clean Air Fund CEO describes how wildfire smoke continues to harm human health and warm the climate long after the flames are extinguished.
- A fast-spreading wildfire in southern Spain has killed at least 12 people, as reported on 10 July.
- Clean Air Fund CEO Jane Burston stated that wildfire smoke releases black carbon, which contributes to the 7.9 million premature deaths attributed to air pollution annually.
- Burston cited a 2023 study that toxic particles from Canadian wildfires killed 82,000 people as pollution spread across North America and Europe.
- Burston called for better fire prevention, early warning systems, and tighter regulations on super-pollutants like black carbon to break the cycle of worsening wildfires.