Prince George had one of the worst air quality readings in the world during August, report

Wildfire season in the North bore some of the worst air quality readings in the world.

According to a study published by Greenpeace Canada, three Northern cities; Quesnel, Prince George and Williams Lake, made the list of most polluted cities on earth in August 2018.  

1. Padre las Casas, Chile – 93.0
2. Hotan, China – 91.9
3. Bhiwadi, India – 83.6
4. Anderson, California, USA – 78.0
5. Chelan, Washington, USA – 76.2
6. Fairdabad, India – 74.5
7. Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada – 74.2
8. Coyhaique, Chile – 73.2
9. Prince George, British Columbia, Canada – 72.2
10. Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA – 70.

Williams Lake wasn’t far behind at number 13.  

Greenpeace said all three of these areas had air pollution levels deemed “unhealthy” by World Health Organization standards and air pollution was roughly five times their 2018 average.

Prince George has seen its average annual air quality score worsen by nearly 70%, compared to 2017.

“We cannot accept this. Our province’s vulnerability to forest wildfires has a major impact on the air we all breathe and has serious public health implications. The report really underscores that we need to act on climate change more robustly for the sake of our well-being and our environment,” said Eduardo Sousa, Senior Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Canada.