Smoke from Canadian wildfires shrouded New York in a record-breaking apocalyptic smog on Wednesday, as cities along the US east coast issued air pollution warnings and thousands evacuated their homes in Canada.
The devastating fires have displaced more than 20,000 people and scorched about 3.8 million hectares of land in Canada, where Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described this wildfire season as the country’s worst ever.
More than 100 million people across the northeastern US, and extending west to Chicago, Michigan, and south to Atlanta, Georgia, were under pollution warnings after the smoke drifted hundreds of kilometers from Canada, the US Environmental Protection Agency said.
The thick pollution cast an eerie, yellowish glow over New York City’s skyscrapers, delayed flights and forced the postponement of sporting events.
“It smells like someone is doing a barbecue,” said Nicha Suaittiyanon, a 30-year-old tourist in New York City from Thailand, who complained of watery and itchy eyes.
New York Mayor Eric Adams told New Yorkers to limit outdoor activity to “the absolute necessities,” adding that “this is not the day to train for a marathon.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the situation an “emergency crisis” that could last several days.
All outdoor activities at New York City’s public schools were suspended, as the smog enveloped the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said that it had slowed traffic to and from the city’s airports due to reduced visibility.
US President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter that more than 600 firefighters along with other personnel and equipment had been sent to Canada to help battle the blazes.
More than 11,000 people have been evacuated in Canada’s province of Quebec, and another 4,000 were expected to flee by the end of Wednesday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said.
Biden spoke with Trudeau on Wednesday and offered “additional support to respond to the devastating and historic wildfires,” the White House said.
Trudeau said that he had thanked Biden, writing on Twitter: “These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality.”
“We’ll keep working ... to tackle climate change and address its impacts,” he wrote.
Scientists have warned that rising temperatures are increasing the risk of extreme weather, including the hot, dry spells that often fan wildfires.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the situation was an “alarming example of the ways in which the climate crisis is disturbing our lives.”
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS