FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – Ecologist and professor at the University of Saint Francis, Louise Weber, said this isn\u2019t the first time the wildfires in Canada have impacted the local air quality. <\/p>\n
But because it\u2019s an El Ni\u00f1o year, the effects we\u2019re experiencing this year are worse than years past. <\/p>\n
\u201cEl Ni\u00f1o is when currents in the Pacific get disrupted, so that areas that are commonly wet get dry, and areas that are commonly dry get wet,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re having floods in Texas and fires in Canada.\u201d <\/p>\n
Weber said climate change also creates situations where there are more dead trees on the ground to catch fire. <\/p>\n
In a phone interview with South Bend station WNDU, Senator Jim Banks took aim at Canada\u2019s response to the fires. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s time to sanction Canada,\u201d he said. \u201cHold them accountable for it. They should pay the cost of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should, they should supplement the healthcare costs for Hoosiers and for Americans who are affected by this.\u201d <\/p>\n
He also posted on Facebook, \u201cIf they don\u2019t fix this, we will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weber said minimizing the fires is difficult. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very hard for anybody to fight these fires in some of the really remote areas of Northern Canada,\u201d she said. \u201cThere just aren\u2019t very many roads, and because of the continued drought, some of the waterways are not available.\u201d <\/p>\n
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