Yes, the number was true. And sadly, it'll just keep on growing.
Last night on TV I talked about the omnipresent Canadian fire haze that has marked the summer of 2023 here in the UP. When I was writing it I did a little research on just how much of Canada has burned this year, if only so I could compare it to the UP and make it a little more relatable. I had no idea how much the Canadian fire had consumed, so when I saw the figure of 38 million acres I guess I wasn't too surprised. But then I looked at something else for that comparison, and found that the UP as a whole is ten and a half million acres in size.
That means the fires in Canada this summer alone have consumed a land mass three and a half times the size of the UP. I guess that kind of puts any complaining about the smoke from those fires in proper context, right?
I mean, the smoke HAS been a pain this year. There are many days where it blocked out the blue, and while I don't know if it contributed to our lower than average temperatures this year, I wouldn't be surprised. And it also wouldn't surprise me if it didn't keep getting worse as climate change batters our weather around more and more. Who know...maybe in 20 years we'll look back at this summer and think to ourselves "Wow...what I wouldn't give to have the comparatively minor amount of smoke we had back in 2023".
Because both you and I know that could very well be the case.
When I started thinking about writing the piece I was figuring it would be a light-hearted jab at our friends up north. Once I saw how much had burned, though, I changed the tone of it. Because, as we all know, Canadians are really nice people. They wouldn't give us all this smoke if they had a choice in the matter.
And with 38 million acres burned (and counting) I'm thinking they deserve our sympathy, not our sarcasm.
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