Wildfire Smoke, Our Forests, and Your Health

About

Many residents of our city are familiar with the characteristic “Seattle haze” that can settle in during some summer months when wildfires throughout the region are particularly widespread. But what is the potential impact of the haze for our health, and what kind of connections can we draw between wildfires and the growing threat of climate change? Sustainable Path presents three expert perspectives—Hilary Franz, Dan Jaffe, and Michael Brauer—to delve into questions of air quality, climate change, wildfires, and more.

Moderated by Robert McClure of InvestigateWest, these three experts engage us with a series of critical lectures. First, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz discusses the threat of wildfires in our region with “Confronting Washington State’s Wildfire Crisis.” Then Dan Jaffe, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Washington, investigates our air with his discussion “Air Quality Issues And Climate Change In Washington State.” And Michael Brauer, Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at The University of British Columbia, offers us visions of progress with “Air Quality And Health: Looking Forward.” Sit in for three urgent examinations of climate change and the wildfire crisis, and how they affect the air we breathe.

Elected in 2016, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz protects and manages nearly six million acres of public lands in Washington State. As the leader of our state’s largest wildfire fighting force, she has pushed for new strategies, innovations, and resources to protect our communities.

Dan Jaffe, PhD, is a Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Washington in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and in the School of STEM at the UW Bothell Campus. He is an expert on atmospheric chemistry, mercury, ozone, urban and regional smog, and long range transport of pollutants.

Michael Brauer, ScD is a Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at The University of British Columbia and an Affiliate Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. His research focuses on transportation-related, biomass air pollution, and the global health impacts of air pollution.

The evening’s moderator Robert McClure is co-founder and executive director of InvestigateWest. At the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Robert exposed a major weakness in the Endangered Species Act and deficiencies in Puget Sound restoration efforts. His reporting on hard-rock mining won the John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism.