Argentina Now Has a Smoke Season, Like California

Thanks to human greed and the government’s inaction.

Photo by fabian jones on Unsplash

This Wednesday, I had to wear my N-95 mask for the bike ride home from work. Not because of a need to block viruses, but to be able to breathe.

And still, I had to take the train home from the center of the city, so I could only commute the first 30% on my bike.

Sunglasses, helmet, mask — I was as covered as one could be on a hot spring day. The thing is, I couldn’t breathe. And as I got home, I was covered in ashes.

The Burning Wetlands

I had never witnessed this kind of thing before in Buenos Aires, until last December. In the middle of the hottest days of the summer, around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, I was forced to keep all doors and windows closed because of the smoke that was flowing in.

This year, we’ve already had several days of smoke, and we’re not even in summer yet.

The fires originate upstream the Paraná and Uruguay rivers that later become Río de la Plata, in the islands of the delta. They often get out of control when the wind hits them from the right direction, especially given the diminished rainfall in recent years.