A smoky taste of things to come

The South Sound literally got a taste of things to come. It was the taste of wood smoke that traveled hundreds of miles to fill our noses and coat our tongues.

Climate scientists have long predicted that an increase in the frequency and intensity of forest fires would be one consequence of global climate change. Today it’s fires in British Columbia generating the plumes of sulfur-infused particles wafting into Western Washington. Personally, I don’t mind the heat. But my eyes have been watering this week, and there’s a tickle in my throat. I’m lucky I don’t have asthma or lung disease, because the smoky air wouldn’t just be annoying, it might well precipitate a health crisis.

The eternal optimist in me was starting to think that here in Western Washington, our climate might temporarily improve with a modest increase in temperature. Local farmers are already benefiting from a longer and warmer growing season, which has allowed them to grow crops like walnuts that previously weren’t commercially viable around here.

Then it hit me that the hot, smoky air we experienced recently in the South Sound area is truly a harbinger of things to come. I shouldn’t be surprised, because we all share the air. The atmosphere pays no regard to private property, state lines, or national boundaries. We’re all in this together, and it’s high time we started acting like it.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 2:37 PM with the headline "A smoky taste of things to come."