A new study from the University of Chicago found that in 2023, air pollution in Canada spiked to levels not seen since 1998 — a direct result of wildfire smoke from the worst fire season since records were kept.
In the most polluted parts of Canada — B.C., Alberta, and the Northwest Territories — fine particulate levels in 2023 were found to be comparable to those in Latin America's most polluted countries, such as Bolivia and Honduras.
This ended a 25-year period of mostly downward trends in air pollution in both Canada and the United States. The report's data is from the university's Air Quality Life Index, which was launched in 2018 and measures pollution levels going back to 1998.
In the United States, fine particulate pollution levels reached their highest levels since 2011, with parts of eastern and midwestern states surpassing areas of California as the most polluted regions in the country.
While pollution levels in the rest of the world generally remained steady, the most polluted air globally continued to be found in South Asia, with average particulate levels in India at eight times the level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The index focuses on particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres, known as PM 2.5. Canadian government health publications say this type of particulate matter, from sources such as industry, vehicle emissions and wood burning, poses health risks because it can travel so deeply into the lungs when inhaled.
The level of these types of particulates was found to have doubled in Canada from 2022 to 2023, while increasing by 20 per cent in the U.S.
The study says the jump was fuelled by the worst wildfire season in Canadian history. In 2023, over 15 million hectares of Canadian forest burned. According to the Canadian government, this was more than double the previous record and six times the 10-year average.
Canada's national air quality standards for fine particulates say there should be less than 8.8 micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO recommends that there be less than five micrograms per cubic metre. In 2023, Canada's average was 9.2, and more than 50 per cent of Canadians breathed air that exceeded the national standard, up from five per cent in 2019.
The study's authors draw a straight line from climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions to increased wildfires and more air pollution. Because fossil fuel emissions are also a source of particulate pollution, reducing them has a double benefit.
Particulate pollution is shown to be the most damaging global threat to life expectancy worldwide, second to smoking and third to child and maternal malnutrition. Things such as transport injuries, alcohol use and disease are far behind.
The study finds that if particulate pollution were kept at the WHO-recommended maximum, it would add 1.9 years of life expectancy per person globally, on average.
