The health burden of wildfire smoke in a changing climate: Exposure, risks, and strategies for mitigation

Wildfires are projected to become more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting under climate change, substantially elevating population exposure to wildfire smoke. Future projections suggest that health impacts of wildfire smoke will peak during the mid-21st century under high-emission scenarios; however, persistent uncertainties in exposure assessment and concentration-response relationships need to be addressed. Effective mitigation of increasing health impacts requires long-term planning, based on the integration of climate modelling, exposure assessment, and evidence from epidemiology. Wildfire smoke exposure reduction approaches including early warning systems, indoor air filtration, and other measures can be embedded within a broader public health and climate adaptation policy framework.