Although it might be hard to tell with all the dust and air quality advisories Prince George experiences, the air quality in the city is actually steadily improving.
According to The Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable (PGAIR), the annual average concentrations for PM2.5 have decreased by approximately 4.5 μg/m3 from 1998 and 2016.
Although the numbers might be cause for some celebration Kim Menounos Manager of PGAIR said factors out of the city control could make it impossible to fully meet their goals.
“The Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable set targets in 2011 and those targets are close to being met but the data also told us is it possible we may never be able to meet those targets because of the nature of our air shed.”
She said things like the increase in wildfire smoke and winter emissions are the primary concerns.
“We talk about the new normal being these really heavy wildfire smoke seasons we don’t know what the new normal is. We are not there yet; we are still facing major climate changes and what that will look like in terms of air quality we just don’t know.”
According to Menounos four of the past five years industry has managed to reduce emissions by 40 per cent.
She said the next step to reducing admission is looking at how individuals can reduce their impact like and more energy efficient vehicles.