President Joe Biden on Thursday noted links to climate change as the eastern U.S. continued to endure poor air quality due to wildfires in Canada.
Biden said in a statement that “millions of Americans are experiencing the effects of smoke resulting from devastating wildfires burning in Canada, another stark reminder of the impacts of climate change.”
The statement came just before Biden was due to hold a joint news conference at the White House with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The president then spoke further about the fires and air quality as the news conference began.
“It’s very important that affected communities listen to the guidance of their state and local officials from this point forward,” he said. “To keep up to date on air quality in real time, go to the app that we’ve provided. It’s called AirNow.gov. And check on one another.”
Read more in MarketWatch’s Living With Climate Change column: When will the smoke clear?
Earlier Thursday, the White House said an outdoor Pride event would be postponed until Saturday “based on the projected air quality in the region.” Biden had been slated to host the LGBTQ+ event Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern time on the White House South Lawn.
The White House said late Wednesday that so far, the U.S. has deployed more than 600 firefighters and support personnel to respond to the fires. Biden has “directed his team to deploy all available federal firefighting assets that can rapidly assist in suppressing fires impacting Canadian and American communities,” the White House said.
In his statement on Thursday, Biden also noted that he spoke Wednesday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and offered additional help. The president said he told Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to keep him informed about air-traffic implications and noted that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan is “continuously monitoring air quality and providing critical updates.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a floor speech on Thursday that he’s calling for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to double the number of Forest Service personnel deployed to fight the Canadian wildfires.
