Climate change could significantly worsen summer air quality in future decades

People walk wearing masks as an air quality health advisory was issued in New York in June 2023. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki). Across the world, air pollution is associated with more early deaths than any other environmental exposure, raising risks of dying from lung cancer, respiratory infection, heart and lung disease and other causes. Even in Canada, where air pollution is generally considered a low risk, more than 17,000 early deaths and over $140 billion in economic damages each year are linked to it. Pollution from heavy industry or wildfires, for example, can make outdoor air so polluted t…