June 7 felt like doomsday.
I woke up to extreme air quality alerts, news articles with polarizing photos of the smoggy Toronto and New York City skylines, and a brand-new cough to top it all off. I spent the day moping around my house, trying to focus on work, and failing to think of anything that wasn’t the looming health crisis. When I thought of taking a break from staring at my laptop screen, I searched my apartment for the nearest N95 mask so I could step outside to take a five-minute walk.
For many other citizens of Ontario, Northeastern America, and other areas, this is our current reality. Due to horrifying wildfires capturing Quebec, smoke has pierced the sky, infecting the air and, in turn, our lungs. Environmental and medical experts warn of extreme health risks caused by the air quality, especially for those with preexisting conditions. They advise citizens to go outside as little as possible, and wear a mask if we do step outdoors. The fires continue blazing and the pollutant-filled air keeps worsening, resulting in record levels of damage, emergency evacuations, and impending health risks for millions of Canadians.
As much as areas like California and Vancouver may, unfortunately, be accustomed to these threats, this level of severity is completely new for East Coasters. Plenty of Gen Zers and Millennials share my level of shock and concern, posting almost apocalyptic photos of orange smog engulfing whole cities and stories of getting sick from the air.
The harsh reality is, climate change doesn’t just exist — it’s upon us. It’s knocking at our doors, this time in the form of drought, smog and forest fires.
The truth is, many of us have been living in a safety bubble, agreeing that while climate change was worsening, it wouldn’t drastically affect us simply because it hadn’t yet. But this week changed that: I learned that nobody is safe from the climate crisis. And it’s time to take action.
You’d think everyone would be like me: riddled with anxiety, anger, and sadness. But what’s even scarier than the smog itself is the sheer number of Canadians and Americans who are not only disregarding the issue, but simply cracking jokes or denying it altogether. Some have even gone as far as to theorize that the government is planting these fires, or blame Canada for the smoke. These assertions trivialize a serious problem, blatantly ignoring the concrete facts and experts’ knowledge. The harsh reality is, climate change doesn’t just exist — it’s upon us. It’s knocking at our doors, this time in the form of drought, smog and forest fires. And it’s not going away.
To my dismay, most people I’ve spoken to about the frightening air quality had no idea how severe the risks really are. (You wouldn’t believe how many weirded-out glances I received on my morning walk with my N95 on.) And the ones that are aware don’t seem to care nearly as much as me, shrugging it off or failing to sympathize with my anxious state. The vast majority can simply continue with their daily tasks without focusing on the poisoned air just outside our four walls. And those that aren’t directly affected lack any trace of concern, because the issue isn’t in their self-interest or on their Instagram feed. I’ve since chalked this up to an example of a distinctly human quality: being too focused on our own little issues to care about anything beyond our daily to-do list.
But especially for us Gen Zers, this is just the start of a lifetime of climate change emergencies — experts say it’ll only get worse from here. Natural disasters continue spiking, pollution is rising, and our fresh water is running out quickly, anticipated to be gone as soon as 2040 if we keep our current habits.
We’re not the CEOs of oil companies; we’re not celebrities with millions of followers; and we’re not government officials. But just because we lack power on an individual level, doesn’t mean we can’t do anything.
But unfortunately, most large corporations, governments, and celebrities are not taking action against climate change — quite the contrary, actually. Harmful actions — like celebrities’ jet emissions, for one, or the lack of federal carbon taxes and other restrictions — continue to stunt progress on climate action. That’s part of the reason why the recent air quality warning has plagued many climate activists: we know we can’t provoke any real change by ourselves. We’re not the CEOs of oil companies; we’re not celebrities with millions of followers; and we’re not government officials. But just because we lack power on an individual level, doesn’t mean we can’t do anything.
Although we can’t solve the climate crisis alone, there are still many small actions we can take to start spreading the word and hopefully generate change. And I’m not talking about swapping out paper towels for reusable cloths — although these shifts are always helpful, we need to band together and use our words if we really want to make a splash.
From now on, instill some urgency and knowledge into your parents, friends, teachers, and social media followers. Read more informative, climate-forward articles, share them to all your group chats, and discuss them at your family dinners. Follow climate activist accounts on social media (@environment is an amazing one to start with). Send your support to the many communities in Quebec and other areas that have evacuated their homes. And don’t stop spreading the word when the issue doesn’t affect you anymore or another distraction arises, a phenomenon that occurs with every cultural issue that sweeps news headlines and Instagram stories.
Also, I can’t emphasize this enough — whenever an election comes around, please vote. Take a hard look at which candidates promise climate action and acknowledge the severity of the issue, consequently saving our lives. Voting is a surefire way individuals can help take action on a larger scale.
The fact is, I shouldn’t be the only one of my friends looking to talk about the air quality alerts, and climate change in general. Everyone should be both worried and committed, because that’s what drives conversation. Climate change is no longer a slow or silent killer — it’s rapidly taking away our homes, freedoms, and lives. It’s time we all stopped focusing 100% of our energy on our individual goals and began thinking about the declining future of our planet — because if there’s any chance of overcoming climate change, we need to start now.