The weather in Chicago today was quite nice—sunny, temperature in the 70s, moderate humidity. Much better than it was last week. Last week we had recordbreakingly bad air quality, attributed to smoke from fires in Ontario. President Trump’s response reminded me of Maslow’s Hammer: “When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.” My own response would have been different. As my mother taught me, you catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.
Still, Americans are bearing real costs due to smoke from Canada. When Canada had its own recordbreaking forest fires in Ontario in 2023, emergency rooms had large numbers of people with breathing problems and many people turned to their physicians for help. The editors of the Washington Post chide President Trump:
The United States and Canada share the world’s longest international border: 5,525 miles. While there has always been friction, the relationship is a model for how trade is mutually beneficial.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, opening next week, is named for a Canadian who spent 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. There is a tunnel between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, that cannot accommodate large trucks, and the privately owned Ambassador Bridge has long been subject to bottlenecks.
The opening of the new bridge to traffic was already delayed a month after Trump objected to the financial terms. Canada footed the full $4.7 billion construction cost and initially planned to share toll revenue with the U.S. after its initial investment was paid back. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says the two countries will now split the net revenue for the first 15 years after subtracting operating costs.
The Canadian wildfires introduced an unexpected wrinkle. On Sunday, Trump suggested Canada should be forced to “pay us damages” for “poisoning our air” with smoke. Canada is far from a model ally, but Trump’s approach clearly has backfired and boosted anti-American voices north of the border.
Just as the fog from the fires has lifted, so too can this spat. Trump and Carney spoke Tuesday by phone and agreed to intensify negotiations. Both countries will lose this fight if they can’t find a way out, regardless of who started it.
Whatever role climate change plays, it seems equally clear that forest management practices deserve renewed attention. Historically, Canada and the U. S. have cooperated on managing forests. Whatever our disagreements over trade or other issues, smoke recognizes no border. This might be an opportunity for our two nations to redouble our efforts. Rather than complaining about damages, the president could have proposed a joint review of forest management practices, wildfire prevention, and firefighting resources.
Trump in this term has only one tactic, apply pressure.
But it eventually gets to the law of no returns, even if you have the biggest hammer.
I wonder how much of it is because its a second term (i.e. any other tactic takes time and its one thing Trump doesn’t have), how much of it is a reaction / lessons learned to his first term, and how much of it is intrinsic to Trump,
His go to seems pretty predictable. Threats followed by backing off. Pretty predictable. Seems to think he is charming.
On topic, it’s a tough problem with our changes in temperature and weather patterns. Would need to destroy a lot of forest to lower risk, well beyond logging needs.
Steve
Well, the clearing and replanting work, is several performative outages down the list in the current political climate. It can be done but requires money (perhaps better spent on hmm, Palestinian reparations), time, and the ability to navigate the shoals and reefs of tribal rights, race, enviros, etc.
We have Canada enabling a bunch of terrorist trees. The solution is simple. Use our remaining munitions and bomb them back into the Stone Age.
It should take 3-4 days, 2-weeks tops.
For millions of years earths natural processes, like lightening, burned mega amounts of forests into particulates and CO2. And volcanoes, good god almighty. It’s a wonder Florida isn’t 2/3 under water as Al Gore and his advisors told us. The waves should be lapping up against Disney World.
Now THATs a crisis.
Relax people. Shit happens.
I’ve noticed that recent heat waves have reignited hysteria over climate change. It’s weather, people. I just heard on the Weather Channel about “record” heat. Uhh. No. 1935 and 1955 had similar numbers. But let’s not let facts get in the way of a narrative. Much less measurement error. Do they train these weather idiots in science anymore?
OT- Poor Andy. Victor Marx could be his next governor. From Wikipedia…
Marx founded All Things Possible Ministries in 2003.[11] Marx claimed on his campaign website that All Things Possible rescued 45,000 women and children from abuse, which was later removed from his campaign website after being disproved.[12][8] Marx has since declined to give an exact number of survivors saved in order to not “put people in danger”.[8][9]
As a minister and also identifying as an exorcist, Marx has said that he routinely exorcised demons from people, individuals he claimed were possessed due to the influence of pornography or being an unmarried couple living together.[13][8] In a 2023 podcast, he claimed that he “hunts demons” and recalled a time when his dog identified a demonic presence in a couple resting at a pool where he then exorcised the woman from “five demons that had been assigned to her”.[14]
Reminds me of when they nominated a witch in Delaware.
Steve
You have something against wicca?