Thirteen US states were issued with air quality alerts following the effects of Canadian wildfires that struck Quebec at the beginning of the month. New York City's iconic skyline (pictured) suffocated under a blanket of apocalyptic-style orange smoke on 7 June, as flights were cancelled and people were forced to stay indoors.

As a result, the Big Apple currently has the worst air quality in the world, with levels shooting above 350 (500 is the highest) on the Air Quality Index. Warm and dry conditions in Canada's eastern provinces, coupled with persistent winds, are exacerbating the blazes, which have already been classed as the most intense wildfires ever recorded in Québec.

More alarmingly, the fires generated nearly 600m tonnes of CO2, equivalent to 88% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions from all sources in 2021.

The world's most SHOCKING weather events of last year