Opinion: With another year of smoky skies, a normalization of the current conditions sweeps communities. A lack of compassion for our environment is scary and infuriating.
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The smell of fire thickly covers the atmosphere as the sun rises. People on the streets continue their morning commute, some suiting up with masks to protect their lungs from the apocalyptic air. While the sun sets, a yellow haze disrupts a serendipitous evening glow. Despite these small discrepancies from everyday life, our societal cloud of acceptance hangs lower than any barrage of smoke.
Fires in the United States have tripled in frequency over the last 20 years. Yet, as smoke and haze become frequent occurrences during the summer months, I have not noticed a strong response in the direction of environmental action. Instead, I have seen moderate language about the atmosphere’s state that edges on carelessness.
On Twitter, the keywords “Eugene” and “smoke” bring up a selection of responses. Some simply state the conditions of Eugene with an attached picture, while others express distress about the conditions. However, mixed into these responses are jokes about Eugene’s cannabis use, or they refer to the red smokey sun as a “bonus” from wildfires.
In one of the most visible environmental crises, individuals are still ignorant of the hazardous circumstances around us. Similar to a coral’s neon glow used as a final effort for survival, our hazy skies are visibly calling out to us that same prayer for vitality. Yet we have created a barrier between our existence and our environment. I blame this dehumanization on social media.
While scrolling through endless threads of wildfire acknowledgment, one thing became abundantly clear: we have removed ourselves from real experiences. When we look at the upper atmosphere through the eyes and perspectives of someone else, we create an impenetrable wall between us and the actual state of our world.
Attempting to replicate a sorrowful experience while only being given the tools of media shared by strangers is impossible. Mass sharing can be helpful when drawing attention to large-scale events, but relying on that form of communication removes personal connections to our world and environment.
In other aspects, those posting smoke-filled views gain initiative from their followers. They are not simply sharing content in relation to the dramatic changes we see around us. Social media demands that its participants feel motivated by the reactions of others. Intentionality with environmental crises is crucial. And certain forms of social media outlets — due to their performance-based conditions — detract from a genuine effort of help.
From my understanding, our skies will continue to have an annual haziness with air quality changing cataclysmically. While it’s difficult to know what the proper course of action will be in the future, the first step is clear: we must lose our nation’s ignorance.
If a burning red sun and descending clouds of hazardously-yellow smoke can’t hold the community’s attention and compassion, nothing will. I’m tired of waking up to the smell of fire only to receive nonchalant comments about the color of the sky. The settling of the smoke has become a regular occurrence. But we cannot treat it as a new form of normality. Adaptability is important, but we must not adapt to a state in which our world suffers greatly.
