A3
THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, SEpTEmbER 4, 2021
Oregonians see dire outlook on fire
and climate change, survey says
By MICHAEL KOHN
The bulletin
Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
Wildfire smoke has made the coronavirus pandemic worse, a new study concludes.
Harvard study says wildfire
smoke worsened pandemic
By DOUGLAS PERRY
The Oregonian
Wildfire smoke causes
COVID-19?
That’s not true, but it’s
understandable how con-
fusion over the connec-
tion between smoke and the
deadly novel coronavirus
has spread on social media.
Researchers from Har-
vard University and other
institutions concluded in
a recently published study
that wildfire smoke from last
year’s fire season worsened
the coronavirus pandemic in
western states.
“Thousands of COVID-
19 cases and deaths in Cal-
ifornia, Oregon, and Wash-
ington between March and
December 2020 may be
attributable to increases in
fine particulate air pollu-
tion (PM2.5) from wildfire
smoke,” the Harvard Gazette
reported last month.
The study itself reported
that high levels of par-
ticulates from wildfire
smoke last year played
“a key factor in exacer-
bating the severity of the
COVID-19 pandemic.”
Note that the study does
not say smoke from wildfires
causes COVID-19. But the
research did find that expo-
sure to wildfire air pollution,
as the Harvard Gazette put
it, “amplified … COVID-19
deaths for up to four weeks
after the exposure.”
“Wildfire smoke can
irritate your lungs, cause
inflammation, affect your
immune system and make
you more prone to lung
infections, including SARS-
CoV-2, the virus that causes
COVID-19,” the U.S. Cen-
ters for Disease Control and
Prevention states.
The part about inflam-
mation and your immune
system is important. Wild-
fire smoke elicits an inflam-
matory response from the
body, which can weaken the
immune system and thus
worsen one’s COVID-19
infection.
Smoke also causes peo-
ple to cough more — mean-
ing more respiratory droplets
sent out into the world, some
of which will carry the coro-
navirus virus.
Smoke particles can cap-
ture
COVID-19-infused
respiratory droplets — and
smoke can be easily pulled
deep into a person’s lungs.
“Definitely, there are
some factors that link the
spread or the increase in
transmissibility of the virus
to the fire,” University of
British Columbia infec-
tious-disease specialist Dr.
Horacio Bach told Cana-
da’s Global News. Bach was
not involved with the Har-
vard-led study.
So if you’re in an area
impacted by wildfire smoke,
be extra careful — and
be aware of symptoms of
both smoke exposure and
COVID-19.
The CDC points out
that “some symptoms, like
dry cough, sore throat and
difficulty breathing can
be caused by both wild-
fire smoke exposure and
COVID-19.”
It
also
adds
that
“(COVID-19)
symptoms
like fever or chills, mus-
cle or body aches and diar-
rhea are not related to smoke
exposure.”
Humankind has little
chance of solving the cli-
mate crisis and the grow-
ing frequency of wildfires.
That’s the majority opin-
ion of Oregonians recently
polled in a survey conducted
by the Oregon Values and
Beliefs Center.
Two-thirds of Orego-
nians (66%) responded that
there is only a small chance
or no chance at all of revers-
ing the direction of climate
change. More than 1,150
Oregon residents aged 18 or
over took part in the survey,
conducted Aug. 9 through
Aug. 17. A similar number
(67%) said the wildfire crisis
in the state will continue to
increase.
The concern Oregon res-
idents have about the envi-
ronment is not without evi-
dence. According to NASA
data, Earth’s average sur-
face temperature has risen
about 2.12 degrees Fahren-
heit since the late 19th cen-
tury, an increase caused by
human activities such as the
burning of fossil fuels.
Most of the increase
has occurred in the past 40
years, according to NASA,
with the seven most recent
years being the warmest.
Research provider Rho-
dium Group reports the U.S.
currently contributes 11% of
the world’s carbon emissions
into the atmosphere. China
leads the planet among pol-
luters, contributing 27%
of the world’s carbon out-
put. Other leading pollut-
ers include India (6.6%),
the European Union (6.4%),
Indonesia (3.4%), Russia
(3.1%), Brazil (2.8%), and
Japan (2.2%).
Climate change impacts
the planet in a variety of
ways, including the melting
of polar ice, which causes
sea levels rise, as well as
droughts, flooding and other
extreme weather events.
Most Oregonians (54%)
believe that climate change
is the primary cause of wild-
fires, the survey said.
What else can be the
root cause for the increasing
number of wildfires? Some
23% of Oregonians believe
the primary cause to be pub-
lic forest practices allowing
excess dead fuels to build
up, and 11% said the main
cause is environmentalists
who oppose forest thinning,
the survey said.
Demographic
quotas
were set to ensure a repre-
sentative sample of answers
for the survey. The margin
of error was 1.7% to 2.9%
MOST OF THE
INCREASE HAS
OCCURRED
IN THE PAST
40 YEARS,
ACCORDING
TO NASA, WITH
THE SEVEN
MOST RECENT
YEARS BEING
THE WARMEST.
According to the sur-
vey, most Oregonians favor
support for environmen-
tal causes even if it means
slowing economic growth
— 76% of respondents said
they would lean toward
environmental protections
compared to just 13% who
favor support for the econ-
omy over the environment.
The survey showed
broadly that Oregonians see
climate change as causing
severe events such as hur-
ricanes, flooding and for-
est fires. Among the respon-
dents, 81% believe that
climate change is at least
partially responsible for cre-
ating longer, hotter sum-
mers, and 80% believe that
climate change is at least
partially responsible for the
drought.
What needs to be done
for humankind to miti-
gate the impacts of climate
change? More than half
(60%) of respondents said
that both strong individual
actions and government reg-
ulations are needed while
11% of respondents said no
action is needed.
The survey also asked
what actions respondents
had taken to address cli-
mate change. Some 61% of
respondents said they have
“dramatically” reduced their
use of gas-powered vehicles
while 57% said they have
“examined and reduced
important emissions behav-
iors.” One-third of respon-
dents (34%) said they have
communicated to elected
officials the need for policies
to combat climate change.
Would Oregonians be
willing to pay more for gas
to help offset emissions?
Some 65% said yes, but
amounts varied — 13% said
less than 25 cents, 9% said
25 cents to 50 cents and 12%
said between 50 cents to $1
extra. Others were will-
ing to splash out more: 9%
said they would pay $1 to $2
extra, 7% said $2 to $4 extra,
and 15% higher than $4.
The survey also included
data on race and socioeco-
nomic backgrounds. Nine-
tenths (93%) of respondents
were white or Caucasian;
4% were Hispanic or Latino;
3% were Native American;
2% were African Ameri-
can, and 2% were Asian or
Pacific Islander.
Respondents also listed
their geographic locality —
44% were from the Portland
area; 28% were from the
Willamette Valley and 28%
were from other parts of the
state. There was also a ques-
tion on political affiliation;
41% were Democrat; 22%
Republican and 13% were
nonaffiliated.
Open House this Monday, September 6th • 12-3
350 Floral St., Astoria
$999,000
8 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms
Renovated Craftsman with fully furnished
2 bedroom VRBO unit. Home features
two decks, covered upper porch,
fenced front yard, built in stereo system,
beautiful river views.
Call Hardworking Professionals...
D eb b owe
Broker
Partnering
with
Cell: 503-440-7474
K athren r usinovich
Broker
Cell: 503-338-2245
175 14th Street, Suite 120, Astoria
503-325-5111
www.windermere.com
Windermere Community Realty