Right now, fires burning in Ontario, Canada, are sending toxic wildfire smoke into the American Midwest and Northeast. Throughout the region, residents are being told to shelter in place, close their windows, turn on air-conditioning and stay inside to avoid breathing the dangerous air outside. This experience will change the way people think about their homes.

Here in Wisconsin, I am currently following the instructions to shelter in place, and it's giving me flashbacks to the pandemic, when we were all told to stay home and wear masks. That confinement to our homes changed our preferences for housing. The same thing is likely happening right now, although on a much smaller scale.

Air Pollution Is Getting Worse Because of Wildfire Smoke

Air pollution is expected to worsen across the nation as climate change, combined with historically negligent forest management, increases the prevalence of fires and the frequency of smoke events. The current smoke event is concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast, but it is actually the American West that has the highest share of homes at high risk of poor air quality in the coming decades.

The United States is not unique in its problems with air pollution. Dangerous air quality has affected populations in China, India and all around the world for........

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