Canada Wildfires: Trump Threatens to Raise Tariffs Over Smoke Pollution
Newsweek · C · trust 50/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. President Donald Trump said he is “holding Canada responsible” for the wildfires causing poor air quality across the U.S. and threatened to add the cost of the damage to tariffs Canada is currently paying.
Trump issued the message in a Truth Social post on Friday afternoon after parts of the Great Lakes, Midwest, and Northeast experienced several days of poor air quality because of smoke traveling hundreds or thousands of miles from current wildfires burning across Canada. Several states remain under air quality alerts on Friday, including New York and the D.C. area, with some state environmental departments warning that air quality could continue to worsen on Saturday.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, t he quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump said. “I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it. The cost is incalculable! Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result. This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Canada’s Office of the Prime Minister by email for comment.
Canada employs a range of wildfire prevention and mitigation measures through federal, provincial and territorial agencies, including prescribed burns, forest thinning, fuel-reduction projects, firebreak construction, vegetation management and public education campaigns.
The country also coordinates firefighting resources through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), which helps move personnel and equipment to areas facing elevated fire risk. These efforts are designed to reduce available fuel, protect communities and improve wildfire response capacity, particularly in regions where fire is a natural part of the ecosystem.
Despite those initiatives, some Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials have argued that Canada is not doing enough to prevent large wildfires and the smoke that frequently drifts into the United States. In recent years, members of Congress and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin have urged Canada to place greater emphasis on forest management and fuel reduction, contending that more aggressive thinning and debris removal could help limit fire severity.
In Canada, wildfires are typically sparked by two main sources: lightning and human activity.
Lightning-caused fires are especially common in the country's vast boreal forests, where dry thunderstorms can ignite trees and vegetation in remote areas that are difficult to reach quickly.
Human-caused fires can result from unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, sparks from vehicles or equipment, power lines, fireworks, or other accidental and intentional ignitions. During hot, dry conditions, even a small spark can start a blaze, and prolonged drought, low humidity and strong winds can help fires spread rapidly across large areas.
Research and government agencies have found that while lightning starts many of Canada's largest wildfires, human activity is responsible for a substantial share of total fire starts each year.
According to Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) map for July 17, active wildfires are spread across much of Canada's forested interior, with notable concentrations stretching from British Columbia and Alberta eastward through Saskatchewan and Manitoba and into parts of northwestern Ontario.
The United States and Canada maintain a decades-old wildfire mutual aid agreement that allows firefighters, aircraft and emergency personnel to cross the border when fire activity surges, and U.S. officials say they are coordinating closely with Canadian authorities as hundreds of fires burn across the country.
When pressed on whether the U.S. would stop assisting Canada with wildfires given Trump’s concerns, the White House did not respond to Newsweek .
Wildfire smoke from Canada is affecting the United States because winds in the upper atmosphere can carry tiny pollution particles hundreds or even thousands of miles from their source. When large fires burn, they release massive amounts of PM2.5, which can remain suspended in the air for long periods and travel across international borders. Depending on weather patterns, smoke can be transported southward into the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast and other regions, reducing visibility and causing air quality to deteriorate far from the flames themselves.
In parts of the Northeast, like in New York, state officials warned air quality could worsen on Saturday.
The EPA’s AirNow forecast for Saturday shows “hazardous” air quality in Minnesota, with “very unhealthy” levels expected across Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. “Unhealthy” air quality levels are more widespread, including Ohio, New York, and Connecticut, with “unhealthy for sensitive groups” levels stretching even further.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) used by AirNow and the EPA ranges from 0 to 500 and is designed to show how healthy or unhealthy outdoor air is at any given time. Higher numbers indicate greater levels of air pollution and increased health risks.
During wildfire smoke events, AQI is often driven by elevated levels of PM2.5—tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs—causing conditions to deteriorate rapidly and sometimes reach "very unhealthy" or "hazardous" levels.
The following…
Read the original at Newsweek →
Open in TruthVane →