Wildfires made significant contributions to air pollution last year, according to the United Nations’ weather and climate agency.

In a report released on Friday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said wildfires, likely to have been made more frequent by climate change, are releasing a “witches’ brew” of pollutants that can end up wrecking air quality a continent away.

Such blazes in the Amazon, Canada and Siberia have brought home how air quality can be affected on a vast scale, the WMO said in its fifth annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin.

“Wildfires are a big contributor to particle pollution and the problem is expected to increase as the climate warms, posing growing risks for infrastructure and ecosystems and human health,” the WMO said in a statement.

“Climate chang

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