Fresh out of Barnard College with a degree in political science, Riley is learning the ropes as a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).
Canada’s 2023 wildfires are burning at a record pace. Blazes have forced thousands to evacuate, burned hundreds of homes, and resulted in four deaths. Smoke from this intense season has brought haze to North American skylines, worsening air quality for Canadians and Americans.
The season started early due to hot, dry weather conditions across Canada, and the amount of forest and land burned by the 4,765 fires has blown away the damage done over the last two decades.
To demonstrate how unprecedented Canada’s 2023 wildfire season has been, we look at two decades’ worth of data on land burned in wildfires in the US and Canada.
