<p>Chicagoans are once again <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/weather/2026/07/16/wildfire-smoke-prompts-air-quality-alert-for-most-of-chicago-area-to" >breathing dangerous air </a>from Canadian wildfires, a reminder that the climate crisis is no longer distant. That reality hit me even harder on a recent hike at <a class="Link" href="Denali National Park and Preserve" target="_blank" >Denali National Park and Preserve</a>, where I learned that more than 1 million acres of Alaskan tundra and forest burned last year — roughly double California’s losses and nearly triple those in Oregon and Utah combined.</p><p>Illinois rarely sees wildfires, but our exposure to unhealthy air is becoming routine. Thick smoke drifting in from Canada recently pushed Chicago to the top of the list of the world’s most‑polluted cities for the second summer in a row, according to the global monitoring platform <a class="Link" href="https://www.iqair.com/" target="_blank" >IQAir</a>.</p><p>Every year, our destabilized climate drives more extremes: megafires, floods, droughts and heat waves.