Smoke billowing from wildfires will cause a growing number of deaths around the world in the decades ahead as the planet continues to heat up, new research has found.
Wildfire smoke is expected to kill as many as 1.4 million people globally each year by the end of the century if planet-heating emissions are not curbed, according to a study published on Thursday.
On the other hand, if we provide everyone with a gas oven – so they’re not using solid fuels on open fires to cook indoors – then we’ll save more than 1.4 million lives a year.
So, swings and roundabouts, really…develop or don’t?
Let me be the first here to call “bollocks” to that prediction.
Given wildfires are not caused by temperature…
The matches light easier when it is warm.
Even if this “modelling” is anywhere near realistic, the problem can be solved by buying a HEPA air purifier for your bedroom, fifty quid from Argos.
“On the other hand, if we provide everyone with a gas oven – so they’re not using solid fuels on open fires to cook indoors – then we’ll save more than 1.4 million lives a year.”
Thats Left Wing thinking. You’re forgetting the consequential effects. If everyone has a gas oven, then deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning and explosions will increase, especially in places where safety is not as paramount as it might be here. So while there might be a reduction in deaths overall, it won’t be the amount saved by not dying from smoke effects.
Jim,
We gave up using coal gas for cooking and domestic heating nearly half-a-century ago so there won’t be a surge of deaths from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
You could try competent forest management.
I was thinking that as well.
More “journalism”, I see. Please note that “smoke … will cause”, “will” not “might” or “is claimed to”, apparently in this case these guesses are 100% certain.
And somehow, we get from “expected to kill” based on projections to “new research has found”.
A few changes in verbiage and you can go from a SWAG to SCIENCE!!!
It’s being done by a professional journalist, so it must be true.
More goats to eat the sprouts??
you could provide them with a wood burner instead. same fuel so keeps forest’s cleared, better efficiency, less pollution.
Expected by whom?
Standard journalism template: gross exaggeration, appeal to authority, appeal to fear.
Is Gamecock on the list of 1.4 million? Oh. Then why should he care?
And when did wildfire smoke start killing people?
Curbed by whom? The Empire is gone with the wind. YOU DON’T MATTER! BRICS dwarfs anything UK might do. Your island can sink, and it would make no difference.
The Guardian clings to the last vestiges of imperialism. Hyping junk science to achieve relevance.
Nobody could be this stupid:
Cirrusly? People died from smoke from 3,000 miles away? Smoke you couldn’t even smell could kill you?
Oh yes, with the emphasis on could…..
The specific size/type of soot particulate can be transported 100’s if not 1000’s of miles through the atmosphere, where those particles can circumvent all the filter things we have in our respiratory system to catch all that kind of stuff, where it can enter our lung epithelial cells, where it can be the cause of certain types of lung cancer, of which some cases can develop into a full blown case if the immune system misses the bugger(s), which can lead to fatalities if not treated with modern medicine..
(phew….)
That’s 6 IF‘s , with some underlying Maybe‘s….And that’s before you even include other factors.And assign every possible death to just this thing, with the “Model” dialled up to 11..
I believe we had this thing already with the dying of CoVid v/s dying with Covid discrepancy “a while back”.
The “Journalists” use the same semantic tricks as well to whip up the Hype.
But yeah… it’s possible.. in theory… If you squint a lot..
Not even in theory. Steve Milloy at junkscience.com has completely debunked the myth that PM2.5 is any threat to humans at all.
It’s obviously homeopathic smoke – diluted to such a degree that it’s incredibly toxic – or it’s just utter bollocks of course.
When I was but a lad the response to such tosh was to cry “Name them!”
According to the figures quoted, the percentage of the world’s population at risk is indistinguishable from zero. This is a problem?
*autistic screeching intensifies*
Sir Gripesalot?
Dear Mr Worstall
<i>”On the other hand, if we provide everyone with a gas oven – so they’re not using solid fuels on open fires to cook indoors – then we’ll save more than 1.4 million lives a year.”</i>
Indeed: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/cooking-smoke-kills-millions-every-year-heres-what-world-can-do-about
About 1.7 million.
DP
Nett.
Whah! Whah!
2.5 BILLION people use dried dung for fuel. 1 point something million is a rounding error.
And, you imperialist creeps, it’s none of your bleeping business. They don’t need you to save them.