Branham: I am breathing dying trees

On Friday night, I woke up with a start. I smelled fire. I ran outside, fully expecting to see one. Instead, I was met by the full moon, barely visible through the haze, the valley covered in a milky froth. But I could barely sleep, as the smoke was so thick. And I could not really breathe. 

I am sure you felt it, too. After breathing smoke from the nearby Lee fire, which at the time of this writing is the fifth largest wildfire in Colorado history, I felt noxious, my throat got sore and tight, and more than anything, my heart hurt. 

I knew it would only be a matter of time until climate collapse in the form of extreme weather events reached us in the Roaring Fork Valley. But it still strikes fear into my core. More than that, I’m filled with grief.

I am currently writing a book about trees. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was breathing dead ones. The trees are dying. Their home is burning. 

This is not a metaphor. The particulate matter which is emitted from wildfires is very harmful. We are breathing dust, metal, gas, chemicals, carbon, volatile organic compounds, and more. The little bits bury themselves deep in our bodies and can cause serious health problems.

I felt that.

I carry the dying trees in my lungs now.

And this one was 150 miles away. What happens when it’s right here? I see the impenetrable wall of hazy, yellow sky soaking the Roaring Fork Valley as a clear harbinger for what could come.

But aren’t wildfires normal? Not at this scale and frequency. There’s been an average of nine extreme weather events annually in the United States, each costing over $1 billion in damages since 1980, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, that average has jumped up to 23 events per year over the last five years (2020-2024). This represents a significant acceleration in extreme weather frequency. 

Right now, there are over 442 wildfires scorching the land over two million active acres across the United States, according to American Forests.

Why? Climate change. The increase in extreme weather has one cause: a warming planet from greenhouse gases and fossil fuels. The answer is simple and clear: Reduce fossil fuel dependency for energy, and increase clean energy. This must happen rapidly. Or it will be too late. 

I was doubly alarmed to read that the current administration will not be updating the extreme weather dataset. What? We don’t just get to close our eyes and make climate change go away. It’s here. You breathed the same air I did this weekend. We can’t deny it. 

As an environmental psychologist, there’s bad news and good news. Climate collapse is much worse than we thought. But we can do something about it.

I never imagined I’d see such a cult of anti-science so intent on destroying the one home we all share. This is a death sentence for humanity. The facts are very clear and very simple. This is not an ideological or identity issue. Climate science is nonpolitical. We all have to share this one, beautiful, breathing Earth.

As Terry Tempest Williams writes, “Our reckless history of human habitation in the American West is on a collision course with the climate crisis. Climate Change is not a hoax. It is real, and it is a fire-breathing dragon blowing fire at our doors.”

But it does not have to be. 

“It is time to believe in the power of renewal,” Williams continues. It is. It is up to us. We can dare to see clearly and act rightly. For us, for this valley we love, for the forests and creatures and rivers and flowers, for generations to come.

This is a joy! Can you imagine that a flourishing planet actually means healthier humans? We all benefit when the Earth thrives.

The smoke has woken up a fire in me. I hope it does so for you, too.

Dr. Lindsay Branham is an environmental psychologist, scholar, author, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose work explores embodied kinship between humans and the Earth. Subscribe to her Substack at lindsaybranham.substack.com.