worldUpdated: Sep 12, 2020 14:33 ISTCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing to speed up his state’s effort to fight climate change as wildfires rip through the region at a record pace and a 1,000-mile sheet of smoke drives air quality to dangerous levels. His comments came as air quality across the US West deteriorated in the wake of record-breaking wildfires that have consumed more than 3.1 million acres in California and 1.4 million acres in Washington and Oregon. In California, 20 people have died during the last month of relentless wildfires. The air quality index in Eugene, Oregon, neared the ceiling set by the US Environmental Protection Agency on Friday while Portland and Seattle had the worst air quality among major world cities, according to IQAir AirVisual pollution data. However, low humidity in many areas of the West and high temperatures mean the risk of fire spreading will remain.

Source: Hindustan Times September 12, 2020 09:04 UTC