Much of today’s global policies and societal viewpoints on the worsening environmental crisis are plagued by a desensitized indifference. We’ve been hearing how the world is getting hotter, with every year breaking some sort of environmental disaster record, making the crisis seem like a normal part of life. This summer, one of the worsening, everyday crises that swept through Canada was prolonged, aggressive wildfires. 

Globally, hotter and prolonged wildfires are the latest testaments to a crumbling climate. In 2025, Canada experienced 1,586 fires engulfing more than 1 million hectares — double the area burned by the same time last year. Some blazes were so massive that their smoke crossed the Atlantic Ocean, darkening skies as far away as Europe. 

But these fires are not isolated catastrophes. They signal something deeper: our climate, our ecosystems, and our infrastructures are dangerously out of sync. 

In an interview with The Varsity, Associate Professor Tanzina Mohsin, a climatologist at UTSC’s Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, mentioned that we’re witnessing the atmospheric cost of climate inaction as it reshapes our natural systems into ones that are fire-prone. This includes increasing heat, drier air, and stronger winds. 

Prevention remains the long-term key against wildfires. Still, preventative strategies must be matched with protection against the inevitable wildfires because smoke doesn’t just rise and fall. It settles in our lungs, schools, homes, and hospitals. 

Protecting the air we breathe 

That’s where engineers like Professor Jeffery Siegel come in. As a professor of civil and mineral engineering, his research focuses on protecting indoor air quality — an increasingly urgent priority as outdoor conditions deteriorate under the strain of recurring wildfires. His work emphasizes implementing healthier and more sustainable buildings by improving ventilation and filtration systems — which can limit particulate matter concentrations indoors during wildfires.  

In an interview with The Varsity, Siegel explained that wildfire smoke can enter in three main ways: through open doors and windows, leaks in buildings — especially in older and poorly sealed homes, and by mechanical ventilation, which pulls outside air inside. 

The solution, Siegel says, is to “build tight, ventilate right,” when designing our indoor environments. This means minimizing leaking points and filtering effectively — which is especially crucial during wildfires when outdoor air carries tiny particulate matter that can damage our lungs. 

For homes without proper ventilation or airtightness, reliance on air filters can reduce exposure to harmful particles. Siegel explained that the efficiency of filters is measured on the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV) scale, where higher ratings indicate better filtration of finer, more harmful particles — with filters of MERV 13–15 recommended during wildfires.

Who gets to breathe clean air? 

Access to efficient filters is not universal. Siegel suggests do-it-yourself options, like attaching filters to a box fan, can help — provided people know how and when to use them. Beyond the individual level, he stresses that public planning for wildfires — including fire prevention strategies and building design — needs to catch up. Since regulating people’s indoor spaces is near impossible, investing in community-wide education is essential to reducing exposure. 

Siegel also spoke on health equity and how wildfire architecture projects need to include “people who work outside or are underhoused.” Underprivileged and marginalized groups — like unhoused individuals, outdoor workers, and some Indigenous communities — are disproportionately exposed to the aftermath of wildfire smoke and can often be overlooked in air quality planning. 

He also acknowledges that while whole-building fixations may be tougher to attain, focusing on ventilating and filtering congregate spaces is a more flexible solution. As an example, he stated that “Maybe you’ve got a very old school where it’s very hard to protect all the classrooms, but maybe you can protect the gym.” 

Wildfires are not new. But the sooner we adapt our behaviours, our systems, and our buildings, the more lives we can protect as the climate crisis continues on its worsening trajectory.