Experts: Blame for Canadian Wildfire Smoke Misses the Bigger Picture

Sun Dec 21 2025 11:00:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As wildfires in Canada wreak havoc, U.S. lawmakers point fingers across the border, blaming Canada for the smoke that has drifted south. Experts argue that the issue stems from larger climate challenges that require collaborative solutions.

In the wake of devastating wildfires in Canada, U.S. lawmakers have been quick to blame Canada for the resulting smoke affecting American air quality. However, climate and fire experts contend that the blame game oversimplifies the situation and distracts from the real issue: the need for joint action against climate change. As wildfires intensify due to changing climate conditions, both nations must work together to mitigate impacts rather than engage in finger-pointing.

As deadly wildfires raged in the Canadian province of Manitoba this summer, Republican lawmakers in nearby U.S. states penned letters asking that Canada be held accountable for the smoke drifting south.

Our skies are being choked by wildfire smoke we didn't start and can't control, wrote Calvin Callahan, a Republican state representative from Wisconsin, in a letter dated early August.

Callahan, along with lawmakers from Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota, filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging an investigation into Canada's wildfire management.

Manitoba premier Wab Kinew quickly condemned the move, accusing the lawmakers of throwing a timber tantrum and playing political games.

By August, the wildfires had scorched over two million acres in Manitoba, forcing thousands to evacuate, and killing two people trapped by the flames. Data shows that 2025 is on track to become Canada's second-worst wildfire season on record.

A recent study revealed the 2023 Canadian wildfires led to over 87,500 acute and premature deaths worldwide, including more than 4,100 in the U.S. and 22,000 in Europe.

Despite the dire statistics, experts argue that the louder blame game is a distraction from addressing the common factors at play, including climate change. 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.

Metrics indicate that wildfires in Canada, a natural part of its boreal landscape, have intensified recently due to climate variations, resulting in longer and more severe fire seasons. Approximately half are ignited by lightning, with the remaining resulting from human activities.

Furthermore, as California faced some of its most damaging fires recently, it showcases that wildfires are not an isolated issue to Canada, but part of a broader pattern of increasing fire activity across North America.

Some experts, including Jen Beverly from the University of Alberta, emphasize that the complexity of Canadian wildfires does not lend itself to simple solutions and stresses the importance of cooperation across borders. We should be blaming those who contribute to the problem, like major carbon emitters, rather than politicizing responses to natural disasters, she said.

As Canadian and U.S. officials grapple with the fallout from wildfires, shifting the focus from blame to collaborative actions may be the key to better handling the escalating challenges of wildfire smoke and air quality.