Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the sun as it sets above East Houston Street on July 19, 2023, in Manhattan.

In June 2023, the skies above New York turned an unsettling shade of orange. Wildfire smoke from Canada covered our state, pushing air quality indexes into the “hazardous” range and leaving millions scrambling for N95 masks, air purifiers and safe shelter. Schools closed. Outdoor events were canceled. Vulnerable individuals, including children, older adults and those with respiratory conditions, were urged to stay indoors.

But for many New Yorkers, particularly those in under-resourced communities, avoiding exposure was not an option. That crisis was not an outlier; it was a warning.​​

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It is time for New York to treat hazardous air quality as the........

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