Dr. Elizabeth Del Buono

A few weeks ago, a 27-year-old had to postpone running outdoors because wildfire smoke was exacerbating his asthma. The cloudy mix of fine particles obscuring the view across the lake is approximately 10 times more toxic than usual air pollution derived from burning fossil fuels.

The data is clear: when wildfire smoke increases, so do visits to emergency departments. Some of those visits end in tragedy. A friend of one of our families lost their daughter during the 2023 summer smoke wave.

As Representative Jack Bergman wrote in his letter to the Chairman of the Canadian-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, “Hospitals and clinics across my district are seeing higher rates of respiratory distress, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions.”

He goes on to point out that forest thinning, fuel reduction, and prescribed burns are essential tools. These are pertinent strategies that can mitigate wildfires, although many areas currently burning are so remote that forest management techniques may simply not be feasible, according to reporting from the New York Times.

Unfortunately, Representative Bergman failed to mention the primary driver of these increasingly destructive wildfires: human-induced climate change. Fueled by our warming climate, vast Canadian forests have turned into tinderboxes, ready to ignite.

From the devastating ice storm here in Northern Michigan, to deadly flash flooding in Asheville and Kerrville, and wildfires in Los Angeles, the fingerprints of a destabilizing climate are everywhere. Yet despite mounting evidence and growing public concern, our government has chosen to look away.

Worse still, the current administration has exploited this crisis — fabricating an “energy emergency” to justify more oil and gas drilling, all while rolling back life-saving Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to protect public health.

Earlier this month, as the heat index soared to 105 degrees, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to dismantle the Endangerment Finding — the foundational 2009 ruling that recognized greenhouse gases as a threat to human health.

Our children, our neighbors, and our elderly deserve better. They deserve a government that values their health and safety above corporate profit. They deserve leadership grounded in science and honesty — not misinformation dressed up as policy.

Here’s what gives us hope: Americans — on both sides of the political aisle — are beginning to recognize the truth. About two-thirds of U.S. adults, including 4 in 10 Republicans, report that climate change is already affecting their communities. The fragility of our systems is no longer theoretical — it’s visible, tangible, and deeply personal.

Importantly, we don’t have to choose between a comfortable life and climate action. In fact, the transition to clean energy offers more stability and economic opportunity than the fossil-fueled status quo. Solar and wind are now cheaper and more accessible than oil and gas. While much of the world moves boldly toward a clean energy future, we continue to pretend the problem — and its solution — don’t exist.

As clinicians, we know that a cancer diagnosis is never easy. But honesty is what makes treatment — and healing — possible. The same principle applies here. Climate change is the diagnosis. But unlike many diseases, we already have the cure.

What Representative Bergman referenced in his letter about the wildfires can also be said about climate change: “The science and tools exist; what’s needed is the will to act with urgency.”

We appreciate that the Congressman recognizes that wildfire smoke poses a significant health risk for his constituents, and that action needs to be taken. But rather than blame Canada, we would encourage him to stand up and defend the policies and agencies designed to protect health and the environment, which are aggressively being dismantled by the current administration.

The Endangerment Finding – among other federal climate programs that are at risk of being canceled – offer the most sustainable, cost-effective, and long-term solutions for turning the tide against out-of-control wildfires and the myriad of detrimental effects impacting our health from a warming planet.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Del Buono, M.D., is a retired diagnostic pathologist and founder and board chair of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action (MiCCA). Teresa Homsi, M.P.H., is the Deputy Director of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action (MiCCA).