What Wildfire Smoke Reveals About How We Respond to Climate Risk

The sun rises behind the U.S.

Capitol building as smoke from wildfires in Canada fills the air on July 17 in Washington D.C. —Kevin Carter—Getty Images A month ago, I was running embarrassingly late to a meeting in D.C.

And so, even though I knew the air pollution outside from the Canadian wildfires was a hazard to my health , I picked up the pace and ran a few blocks to minimize my tardiness.

The cough set in the next day, and I haven’t been able to kick it since.

The doctor tells me I’m suffering from irritant bronchitis and that it should go away with time.

In the scheme of climate change , the cost of my cough is relatively small.

It has slowed down my fitness ambitions a bit, and I am now frequently reassuring many a plane seatmate that I’m not actually sick.

As an economic actor, it’s made me somewhat less productive.

Read more: What Living Through the Hottest July Ever Looked Like Across the U.S.

In a way, I’m embarrassed by this story.

I know that fire-induced air pollution is dangerous.

It can trigger chronic heart and lung issues and, in some cases, lead to emergencies.

Wildfire smoke has been tied to more than 24,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year. (That same morning I donned a mask, only to lose it over the course of the day.) But I’m sharing it because I think it offers a few valuable lessons in our age of climate extremes.

Perhaps the most obvious lesson is the undeniable economic effects of wildfire smoke.