smoke (Patreon)

from the early smoky days of last month, shot by me

unfortunately, this really does seem like our new normal. It's kind of terrifying to think about, and it makes me so sad to think about future generations who will be regularly stuck inside in the last few weeks of summer, fearing for their lungs, worried about their cities burning down, about evacuation orders, not being able to enjoy the outdoors in otherwise good weather, missing out on campfires and such. I'm sad for the animal, plant, and fungus populations that will be irrevocably changed by burning habitat, for the loss of some species that can't run or survive, for the impacts on our weather and air quality all through the west. 

I am particularly upset that evacuation orders favor able bodied people, people with the financial ability to have a car, people who can read and speak English to get their evacuation instructions clearest. I am upset that farmworkers are forced to work in smoke and pandemic conditions, without proper PPE. Or, for those who need it, legal representation, safe and fair employment, fair pay, or a pathway to citizenship. I'm upset that undocumented immigrants fear interaction with the state as they evacuate, scared that it will increase their risk or their communities' risk of deportation.