New York's Air Is the Worst in the World But Some New Yorkers Still DGAF

NEW YORK - I approached a man standing in the doorway of a watch store on Times Square, right across from the big LED American flag at the military recruitment office, pulled down my N95 and asked him what he thought about all the smoke. 

He looked at me, confused for a moment, then waggled the spliff he was holding. “You mean like marijuana?” he says. 

On Wednesday, the air quality in New York City became so hazardous that it broke city records. Smoke from wildfires in Quebec descended on the East Coast Tuesday night, engulfing New York in a thick, dusty cloud that, over 24 hours, transformed the city into a noxious, orange dystopia. 

At its worst on Wednesday, when the sky turned umber, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation measured 800 micrograms of fine pollution particles per cubic meter of air in New York City, 23 times more than the EPA’s daily safe levels of 35, and twice more than were measured during the devastating wildfires in Portland, Oregon in 2020. 

The small sector of New York City’s population who are Highly Online (many of who, like this reporter, have spent the vast majority of their days since March 2020 doom scrolling from their couch) circulated Blade Runner 2049 memes (aptly, the dusty sequel was directed by Quebec’s Denis Villeneuve) and screenshots from a global Air Quality Index (AQI) leaderboard that showed New York with the most hazardous air of any major city worldwide. 

The Highly Online argued with their West Coast counterparts over “who had it worse” in terms of getting choked out by wildfire smoke, each accusing the other of gatekeeping climate change trauma. They shared guidance about how to care for pets during hazardous air situations, advised one another to wear N95s outdoors, and scolded people who were ordering in. 

When I set out to interview New Yorkers about all the smoke — I expected to encounter the same or at least close to the level of concern I’d seen online on the streets. After all, the air quality was genuinely bad for anyone, but in particular for asthmatics (one in eight New Yorkers have had asthma at some point in their lives), pregnant people, young children, or elderly people. At least I thought it’d be an opportunity for New Yorkers to complain about Mayor Eric Adams, who had been criticized for his lackadaisical response to the crisis. 

But I’d underestimated the degree to which people in this city —or at least, in midtown, which leans apocalyptic on a good day — simply do not give a fuck. 

Perhaps, people were a little more ornery than usual. In the late afternoon, a fight almost broke out at the intersection of 42nd and Broadway between a guy who’d walked into traffic and another guy who’d nearly hit him with his truck. A few people had masks on, others had GoPros, others were clearly just trying to get home. 

The actors dressed as Elmo, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, the Hulk, and Spiderman, had zero interest in sharing their thoughts about the situation, nor did the rickshaw driver that was blasting “WAP” from his speaker, nor did the pretzel guys nor the halal guys. 

Christopher Lee Wilson, 36, who was sitting on the ground smoking cigarettes, said he’d learned about the air quality issues from a newscast on one of the giant TV screens in Times Square. “I don’t really care,” Wilson said. “I’m not a scientist. Could be dangerous, could be fine, I dunno.” 

Tony Serrano, 39, was sitting alone at a table in Times Square. He was on holiday, from Mexico, and loves New York City, but expressed some uneasiness about the current conditions. 

 “I think it’s quite a big problem, it doesn’t feel good, the city feels dirty, it’s not a pleasant experience,” said Tony Serrano, 39. 

He said he wasn’t really having any breathing issues at this time. “Not really — not yet,” Serrano said. “But I think if I spent all day sitting in New York, I could.” 

Although things felt alarmingly normal out in the middle of Manhattan, it’s probably worth noting that anyone who was out and about without a mask on was likely either a tourist or someone who was never going to particularly care about hazardous air. 

By Wednesday evening, a breeze had begun shifting the smoke and Manhattan’s skyline was once again visible (if still a little hazily) from Brooklyn Bridge, where tourists and graduates snapped photos. 

And by Thursday, New Yorkers were waking up with sore throats and headaches. The city was still holding onto its crown for the worst air pollution of any major city. Mayor Adams was advising New Yorkers to stay inside if they can but has stopped short of issuing a lockdown order that would mandate people to stay inside, and has been criticized for giving mixed messages. Lawmakers, such as Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, are also calling on Adams to utilize other emergency resources available to the city, such opening up cooling centers and offering PPE to seniors or other vulnerable New Yorkers seeking refuge from the smog.