the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 4, 2025
On Thursday, July 31, the “Second City” was, for a few hours, “Number One” in the world. It was a record Chicago could do without, though: with an AQI (Air Quality Index) of 174, Chicago had the worst air pollution in the world, according to the air-technology company IQ Air.
It was because smoke from Canadian wildfires had covered Chicago and a large part of the Midwest. Earlier that day, Minneapolis had ranked third in the world in worst air quality, and Detroit seventh.
The Canadian wildfire smoke spreads far and wide with the winds—as far south as Florida, and eastward to the Atlantic Coast. So, since May, cities in the midwestern and northeastern U.S. have had many days of severe air pollution. On July 15 the AQI reached 170 (Code Red) for Detroit. On July 26, the state of New York warned that the AQI could reach 135 (Code Orange) in the New York City metro area, where more than 20 million people live.
This is a serious health hazard for all of us. Smoke from wildfires contain toxic materials that can cause cancer. It also carries a very fine dust, which no one can escape completely, not even indoors. Depending on how sensitive a person is, this dust can cause respiratory illnesses, heart attacks, strokes, premature births and even neurological damage. So, this kind of pollution causes millions of premature deaths.
What is making wildfires around the globe more frequent and more explosive is that the earth is warming, bringing about changes in the climate. The soil and plants in certain parts of the earth are becoming drier, creating ample fuel for wildfires. Then, a few sparks from a campfire or a power line can start a fast-moving wildfire that quickly becomes uncontrollable.
These changes in the climate are linked to the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) for energy. Scientists have known this for decades, and technology to burn these fuels more efficiently has existed for decades. But big energy and manufacturing companies have never chosen to invest money into that kind of technology, because their priority is to increase their profit.
The dangerous smoke that threatens us year after year is another result of the capitalist economy.