North Carolinians are breathing the cleanest air in decades, according to new state data from the Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ).
The NCDEQ released its updated Air Quality Trends in North Carolina report on Friday. The report attributes the decline in air pollution emissions to efforts by state leaders, regulatory agencies, electric utilities, industry and the public to address air quality concerns over the last 50 years. The report said carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide emissions in particular reached all-time lows in 2022, the latest year for which data is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Even as our population and economy continue to grow, North Carolina’s air quality keeps getting better and better,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “By controlling air pollution, we are giving every North Carolinian a cleaner, healthier future.”
“Our air quality continues to improve thanks to tireless efforts by our dedicated staff, partners and a wide variety of stakeholders who have come together to implement sound environmental policies,” said Mike Abraczinskas, Director of the Division of Air Quality.
The report said statewide emissions of the air pollutants regulated under the federal Clean Air Act have also declined sharply from 1990 through 2022. Specifically, the report said emissions fell in the following categories:
95% for sulfur dioxide (SO2).74% for carbon monoxide (CO).71% for nitrogen oxides (NOx).48% for fine particles (PM2.5).67% for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The state said the measured concentrations of those pollutants have been below every federal health-based standard for more than a decade, with average concentrations of SO2 95% below the federal standard and nitrogen dioxide 89% below the standard. According to data from the state, CO, NOx and VOC emissions have declined by 81%, 72% and 85%, respectively, from 1990 through 2022, from those on-road sources of air pollution.
The state added it expects to see futher reductions from the transportation sector in the coming years due to increasing adoption of electric vehicles.
NCDEQ in their report state that cars, trucks and other vehicles on North Carolina roads emit far less pollution than older vehicles, which they said is attributed to improved engine and fuel standards and more advanced emissions controls.
More of the state’s power now comes from clean sources such as solar, wind and nuclear energy, and NCDEQ said the state’s transition away from coal for power generation has been a major driver of these changes.
The report also provided these additional findings:
The number of “Code Red” air quality days continues to be low. From 2015 through 2024, North Carolina recorded just two days of “Code Red or above for ozone in the state, compared to 84 such days from 2005 through 2014.Visibility in national and state parks improved in the last three decades. In 2023, visitors could see as afar as 119 miles at the Great Smoke Mountains Natioanl Park during an average clear day, compared to just 54 miles in 1996.Net greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion have decreased by 38% from 2005 through 2020. Combined emissions from federally designated Hazard Air Pollutatnts and state-designated Toxic Air Pollutatns fell by more than 108 million pounds between 1993 and 2022, an 82% drop.