Our resident idiot-in-chief has decided that Canada will be held responsible for the smoke coming to the United States from their wildfires. Canada has roughly 911 million acres of forested land, covering about 40% of the country's total landmass. This makes Canada the third most forested nation on Earth. Trump thinks that Canada should have done a better job of raking the leaves and pine needles. He will penalize them with higher tariffs.
As most of us know, you and I pay for the tariffs in higher costs for goods. Higher tariffs on Canadian goods will hit paper and plastic products as Canada is a major supplier of wood pulp and timber. Expect higher prices on toilet paper, paper towels, and bakery packaging. Fridges, HVAC, and washing machines will be more expensive. Canada also makes automobiles and auto parts so those items will cost more. Crude oil and energy supplies will increase sending gas and diesel prices higher. Some furniture, cabinetry, groceries, and beverages will cost more.
The Donald seems to think that Americans haven’t figured out that his tariffs are just another tax on us. He thinks it is “free money” and a weapon he can threaten to use to get his way. It is another, “If you don’t do things my way, I’m going to take all the toys and go home.” Some of his less intelligent followers are still fooled into thinking that he is working in their interest.
Perhaps we could loan Canada that rake Trump is always talking about that cleans up forests. I’m sure cleaning up over 900 million acres of timberland will be easy. Maybe they could hire Trump’s pool guy as I hear he will be having some free time soon. He could put a liner on the forest floor that will last until it gets wet, some animal walks on it, or some idiot drives a motorcade of armored SUVs on it.
Let me “go out on a limb” here, in keeping with the forest metaphor, and say maybe this is related to climate change. What if this is the result of decades of pushing fossil fuels and moving away from renewable energy. No, that idea costs time, effort, money, and commitment. So, for folks who live near a jet stream originating in Canada…, you just took up smoking. It may be time to buy an air conditioner, seal your windows, and plan on enjoying more time indoors several months of the year.
Contrary to science deniers, climate change is the primary driver behind the increasing severity, frequency, and scale of wildfires around the globe. According to scientists (not politicians), hotter and drier weather, longer fire seasons, increased lightning, and a carbon cycle loop (forests burn, release carbon dioxide, ozone layer thins, earth gets hotter) are the culprits.
Donald Trump has long cited the common misconception that forest mismanagement is responsible. While this was true in the U.S. for many years, it was not so in Canada. In many of our western states, we used to use extensive fire suppression techniques causing excess fuel to build and create a “fire deficit.” Canada’s remote unmanaged northern boreal forests rely on natural ecosystems.
The recent Canadian wildfires are a direct result of climate change and not forest mismanagement. New Canadian tariffs just make Americans more miserable than they already are. Perhaps we will begin to see this once the smoke clears.
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