COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY CENTER AT 9:00. SPEAKING OF CLIMATE CHANGE YOU
ARE ON THE COUCH WITH THE
RESIDENT SCIENTIST?
RESIDENT SCIENTIST? >> WE WANT TO CONTINUE THE
CONVERSATION, YOU HAVE BEEN
WRITING STORIES SPECIFICALLY A
COUPLE TOPIC.
COUPLE TOPIC. >> THE FIRST IS AIR QUALITY.
THIS SURPRISED ME AIR QUALITY
AROUND THE NATION IS GETTING
BETTER EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHWEST
WORD IS GETTING WORSE.
WHY IS THAT?
>> BREAK THAT DOWN.
>> EVERYWHERE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY WE ARE BURNING FUEL
MORE EFFICIENTLY.
MORE EFFICIENTLY. WE HAVE BETTER STANDARDS FOR
CARS AND FACTORIES.
THE LEVELS OF PARTICULATE
MATTER, WHICH I HAVE TALKED
ABOUT ON THE SHOW BEFORE, VERY
SMALL PARTICLES THAT ARE
EMITTED FROM FIREWORKS OR CARS
OR FACTORIES.
OR FACTORIES. THOSE LEVELS ARE GOING DOWN
EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY BUT
IN THE NORTHWEST.
RECENTLY FROM THE ROCKIES TO THE
CASCADES BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING
AN INCREASE IN WILDFIRES AND
THE AMOUNT OF AREA BURNED BY
WILDFIRES.
WILDFIRES. THE WORST DAYS ARE GETTING
WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSE. EVEN THOUGH THERE IS THIS
NATIONAL TREND OF INCREASING
EMISSIONS AND BETTER AIR IN THE
NORTHWEST THE FIRES ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO MAKE OUR AIR
WERE.
WERE.
WERE. >>
WERE. >> I ALWAYS THINK WEATHER TERMS
LIKE THE JET STREAM, SO CLOSE
WILL WINTER DOES IT HELP IN
SEATTLE PUSHING FIRES THAT WAY
SO THE CITY IS OKAY?
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
>> THAT DOES MAKE SENSE.
I'M NOT SURE THAT'S THE REASON.
I KNOW WHAT THEY CALLED THE
SEATTLE PORTLAND CORRIDOR, THAT
AREA IS NOT SEEING WILDFIRE
EFFECT AS MUCH AS THE EASTERN
SIDE OF THE STATE BECAUSE HERE
BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY MORE
CARS AND SO MUCH MORE HUMAN
POLLUTION TO BEGIN WITH THAT
FACTOR IS OUTWEIGHING ANY BUYER
EFFECT.
EFFECT.
EFFECT. >> IS THIS HARMFUL?
OR HOW HARMFUL?
>> THESE PARTICLES BECAUSE THEY
ARE VERY SMALL SMALLER THAN A
HUMAN HAIR THEY CAN GET DEEP IN
YOUR LUNGS AND THEY CAN CAUSE OR
EXACERBATE A WHOLE LOT OF
RESPIRATORY ISSUES LIKE ASTHMA,
BRONCHITIS.
BRONCHITIS. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE ARE
A BUNCH OF AGENCIES THAT LOOK
AIR QUALITY, MOSTLY LOOKING AT
PARTICULATE MATTER.
PARTICULATE MATTER. YOU CAN GO ONLINE TO THEIR
WEBSITE AND THEY HAVE MAPS ALL
AROUND THE COUNTRY AIR QUALITY
FOR TODAY UPDATED IN REAL TIME.
AIR NOW .GOV RUN BY THE EPA SO
YOU CAN GO AND THEY WILL SAY
OKAY THIS IS IF WE ARE AT THIS
LEVEL IF YOU ARE A YOUNG CHILD
KEEP YOUR YOUNG KIDS INDOORS.
AT THIS LEVEL, EVERYONE SHOULD
BE CONCERNED.
BE CONCERNED. >> SEA LEVELS?
WE TALK ABOUT THE CAPS MELTING
AND A RISE IN SEA LEVELS?
>> WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE
INTERNET WHAT DO SEE LEVELS
HAVE TO DO WITH INTERNET?
OH, THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> THAT WAS SURPRISING TO ME.
WHEN YOU SEND A TEXT MESSAGE OR
CONNECTED TO WI-FI THE SIGNAL
ISN'T REALLY WIRELESS.
EVERYTHING IS TRANSMITTED
THROUGH FIBER-OPTIC CABLE.
A LOT OF THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IS
BUILT UP AROUND WHERE PEOPLE
ARE.
ARE.
ARE. MAJOR CITIES AND MAJOR CITIES
ON THE COAST HAVE A LOT OF
FIBER-OPTIC CABLES BURIED
SHALLOW IN THE GROUND.
THIS NEW STUDY SAID THERE ARE
4000 MILES OF FIBER-OPTIC CABLE
IN THE U.S. THAT COULD BE
THREATENED BY ONLY 1 FOOT OF
SEA LEVEL RISE.
>> HAVE TO MOVE THOSE FIBER-
OPTIC CABLES.
OPTIC CABLES. DO SOMETHING.
DO SOMETHING. >> REVERSE THE TREND.
>> IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED IN
READING MORE OF WHAT SHE WAS
TALKING ABOUT TEXT CLIMATE TO
206-448-4545 AND WE WILL