America's blame game over Canada's wildfire smoke misses the point, experts say

Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has drifted into the United States several times this summer, darkening skies with an orange haze and stoking a political debate about responsibility. Some Republican lawmakers from Midwest states have urged Canada to be held accountable for the smoke, filing a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency and arguing that Canada’s wildfire management is harming health and quality of life in the region.

Manitoba’s fires have burned large swaths of land, forcing thousands to evacuate and killing a couple whose home was overtaken by fast-moving flames. By August, officials said the fires had scorched more than two million acres, underscoring the scale of the season in Canada’s boreal forests. As of mid-September, more than 500 fires remained burning, largely concentrated in British Columbia and Manitoba. Data through 2025 indicate Canada is on track for its second-worst wildfire season on record.

A September Nature study warned that wildfire smoke can have global health consequences. The research estimated that the 2023 fires caused more than 87,500 acute and premature deaths worldwide, including about 4,100 in the United States and more than 22,000 in Europe. The study highlights the role of PM2.5, a fine particulate that can trigger inflammation, worsen asthma and heart disease, and, in some cases, affect neural connections in the brain. Professor Michael Brauer of the University of British Columbia, a co-author, said the findings are a stark reminder that wildfire smoke should be treated as a serious health issue, on par with other major health concerns.

Officials and lawmakers in the United States have pressed Canada for stronger action on wildfire management, though climate and fire experts say the root causes extend beyond any single country. "Until we as a global society deal with human-caused climate change, we’re going to have this problem," said Mike Flannigan, an emergency management and fire science expert at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia. He noted that hotter temperatures are making forests drier and more prone to ignition, a trend that is likely to persist as the climate warms.

Canada has signaled its own measures to address wildfire risk. In August, Ottawa pledged more than $47 million for research projects aimed at helping communities prepare for and mitigate wildfires. Domestic firefighting is largely organized by province and territory, a structure some experts say works less well as fires intensify. Canadian water bombers were deployed to assist in the United States this year, and more than 600 U.S. firefighters traveled north to help Canada, highlighting the reciprocal nature of cross-border cooperation.

Nevertheless, some experts argue that structural changes may be needed at the national level. Wildfire emergency response in Canada remains devolved to provinces and territories, and several scientists have urged options ranging from controlled burns to reducing combustible material around towns. While these strategies can reduce risk, they do not eliminate smoke, especially when fires burn under extreme conditions driven by climate change. Jen Beverly, a wildland fire professor at the University of Alberta, acknowledged that Canada’s fires are part of a high-intensity ecosystem that is difficult to manage under current conditions. "These are high intensity fire ecosystems" she said, noting that climate change makes such fires more common and more challenging to control. She also urged attention to pollution as a broader issue, pointing to the United States as the world’s second-largest carbon emitter after China and arguing that climate responsibility is shared.

The EPA acknowledged the complaint and said it would review the submission and respond through appropriate channels. In interviews and public statements, researchers have argued that the focus should be on learning to live with smoke and strengthening cross-border collaboration rather than assigning blame. Brauer said the data illustrate that the consequences of a warmer climate are not confined to the origin country and that the United States and Europe can expect to feel similar impacts in coming years. "The effects of a warmer climate are localised, and there are winners and losers," he said. "But this is an illustration that some of these impacts are becoming global."

As wildfire seasons lengthen and intensify, experts say resilience will hinge on cooperative prevention, rapid detection, and robust adaptation measures that cut across borders. The discourse surrounding Canada’s responsibility should shift toward joint action to reduce risk and protect public health rather than political finger-pointing, they argue. The smoke’s reach is the signal—the climate system does not recognize national boundaries, and the only sustainable response is shared accountability and coordinated action.