Altoona has always had hot summers, but with the last two summers, those temperatures have only gotten worse and more dangerous.

The forest fires smoke in Canada has blazed to central PA, which causes air quality to decline. That creates risks for many people in our community, especially children and elderly. Children breathe faster than adults, which means they inhale more polluted air. Temperatures combined with poor air quality trigger asthma attacks and other breathing issues.

According to the Pennsylvania Climate Impacts Assessment, “projected increases in asthma-related emergency visits of 17%-30%.”

These issues not only harm children’s health, but affect their school. Elderly are also at huge risk. U.S. health says as we age, our immune system weakens and it makes it harder for us to breathe when it’s hot or the air is bad. The air and temperature can worsen lung and heart problems. The elderly are at the same equal risk as the children.

So what can we do to help? The root cause of forest fires and hot temperatures is climate change. Simple things like recycling and cleaning up litter can help, but a very simple solution is planting more trees. We know trees produce oxygen, but they also help clean out the air and reduce temperatures. If we take action now, we can keep our community safe.

Bailey Kagarise

Altoona