If you have been concerned about wildfires and the smoke they create lately, you are not alone. California and the western United States are experiencing an increasing number of smoky days each year and this year’s wildfires have even caused smoky pollution on the east coast — a disturbing trend that makes good air quality seem more and more like a luxury.
While our current air quality is much better than it was in the early 20th century, there’s growing evidence that the effects of climate change have started reversing some of that progress.