Canadian Wildfires Impacted Health of Residents Hundreds of Miles Away
This summer's record-setting wildfires in Canada caused unhealthy air quality in New York City and increased the amount of asthma-related emergency room visits, a new Yale study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found.
Previous studies on wildfire have mostly focused on the impact of populations residing nearby. The Yale study, co-authored by YSE’s Michelle Bell, Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health, found that emergency department visits in New York City related to asthma syndrome increased by nearly 44% during a three-day wildfire smoke wave from the Canadian fires that were hundreds of miles away. As wildfires become more frequent and larger in recent years as a result of a warming climate, public health officials should develop early warning systems to alert the public to wildfire smoke events and provide guidance to protect vulnerable populations, the authors recommend.
“The air quality impacts of wildfires are widespread, as are the subsequent public health burdens,” Bell said in a statement to CT Pubilc Radio.
The study was led by Kai Chen, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), Yiqun Ma, a doctoral student at YSPH, and Wan Yang, of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
October 24, 2023
Michelle Bell
Senior Associate Dean of Research and Director of Doctoral Studies; Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health
More News in Brief
Satellites Can Track Amazon Forest Resilience — But Timing Matters
A new study led by Kexin Song, a postdoctoral associate at YSE, offers field-based evidence that satellite data can detect meaningful differences in how well Amazon forests recover from drought stress, rather than merely reflecting glitches caused by clouds, sensor quirks, or measurement timing. By cross-checking geospatial observations with physiological measurements from more than 342 trees representing 114 species, researchers confirmed that a satellite-derived resilience indicator capture real ecological signals. This finding strengthens the case for using satellites as early-warning tools for ecosystem transitions across hard-to-access regions such as the Amazon.
An important caveat that the study found, however, is that the observation timing must align with natural recovery rhythms. For instance sampling too frequently can hide recovery dynamics, but sampling too infrequently risks missing them. The study suggests that some earlier satellite-based resilience assessments warrant re-examination.
The paper, "Physiological fidelity of a satellite-derived forest resilience indicator in the Amazon," was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
July 21, 2026
Federal Ginseng Rules Poorly Predict Plant Health
A YSE-led study published in Environmental Research Letters found that current federal rules regulating American ginseng harvest — based on plant age and leaf count — poorly predict the biological traits that matter most for conservation.
Ginseng, a wild plant prized in traditional medicine, can only be legally harvested once it's at least five years old and has three leaves. However, when researchers measured hundreds of ginseng plants, they found that age was a weak guide to how large a plant's root had grown or how many seeds it could produce.
The authors say switching to size-based harvest limits could do more to protect ginseng in the wild, while also making the rules easier for harvesters and forest farmers to follow.
The study was led by Karam C. Sheban ’26 PhD, and co-authored by Mark Bradford, the E.H. Harriman Professor of Soils and Ecosystem Ecology, and Marlyse C. Duguid, the Thomas J. Siccama Senior Lecturer in Field Ecology.
July 15, 2026
Mark Bradford
E.H. Harriman Professor of Soils and Ecosystem Ecology
Marlyse Duguid
Thomas J. Siccama Senior Lecturer in Field Ecology; Research Scientist; Director of Research, Yale Forests
Most Americans Say Climate Change Is Raising Their Bills
A new survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication finds that two-thirds of registered voters think global warming is affecting the cost of living in the United States a view shared across the political spectrum. Energy is the cost Americans feel most acutely: a quarter of voters point to energy costs as the expense most impacted by global warming, more than food, transportation, or insurance. Looking specifically at utilities, 66% of registered voters think global warming is causing their home utility bills to rise. The findings suggest energy affordability could be a unifying entry point for climate conversations, offering a way to discuss climate change that resonates regardless of political affiliation
Read the full Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2026 report from YPCCC.
June 22, 2026
Anthony Leiserowitz
JoshAni-TomKat Professor of Climate Communication; Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC)