In the summer of 2023 we have been experiencing unhealthy air quality in Virginia. It impacted the Special Olympics State Games this past June with canceling all of the outdoor sports on June 9th. I know the athletes had to be really disappointed since they weren’t able to compete on the first day of the State Games.
Now you might be wondering what is causing the unhealthy air quality that we have been experiencing on and off this summer?
Well what happened is that Canada had an unusually hot and dry spring. And all of that dry and hot air caused Canada to have the worst wildfires that the country has ever had on record. This caused the smoky, unhealthy air to make its way down the East Coast to Virginia. We have been seeing the same thing in California in recent years since they have really dry, warm weather. Some of their wildfires have been really bad where people have had to evacuate. Unfortunately, this is now the new normal with climate change. The planet has been getting warmer for decades and causing more wildfires and unhealthy air quality. This is what can cause more extreme weather such as severe storms, flooding and rising sea levels.
Now what causes climate change to get worse?
Well, one of the ways is us! We use coal, natural gas and oil everyday for cooking, electricity, heating, air conditioning and transportation, to name a few. And all of that natural gas and oil has been causing the planet and the ocean to heat up. One positive thing is that more cars are now running on electricity instead of gas, which will help climate change from getting worse. There is also the Paris Agreement which is an agreement that 196 countries agreed to help prevent climate change from getting worse.
So, how do these air quality challenges impact exercising this summer?
It is recommended by many local health officials to limit how much time you spend outside, especially if you have asthma or other respiratory health conditions. It might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about it first. Because if you spend too much time outside in unhealthy air quality it can impact your lungs. But you can still exercise outside! If you do, I would keep workouts short and not push too much. For me, running in the hazy air isn’t a good feeling. So, for now, I keep my runs to 30 minutes and run at a pace that is comfortable. Walking is a great way to move your body and not push too much, especially if you have water. Hopefully the air quality improves but hope you keep exercising until then!
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exercising-in-bad-air-quality-negative-health-effects-heres-what-to-know/
https://www.edf.org/climate/heres-how-climate-change-affects-wildfires
https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2023/07/why-canadas-wildfires-are-so-bad/
http://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-ocean-heat-content
