2023 Air quality report. Only two California metros in the top 10!?!?

[dontbelievehim]

https://bloomingtonian.com/2024/04/1...united-states/

One year report (2023?)
Is this survey company legit?

Riverside -san berdo #1
Houston #2
Albucracky #3

El Centro makes the list as well


Interesting news if you follow air quality and environmental news

The government report will be out in a year or two. That will confirm if this is legit or not.

[saibot]

As a 50+ year resident of the LA metro area, I can hardly exaggerate how much cleaner the air is than it was when I was a child. Whatever else drives me crazy about the government of the state, they have done a great job at reducing air pollution.

I still find it necessary to tell visitors that the haze over the coast is marine layer/fog, NOT smoke or smog, because the assumption of the general public is that LA's air is filthy.

Of course, when there's a nearby wildfire, all bets are off.

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by saibot

As a 50+ year resident of the LA metro area, I can hardly exaggerate how much cleaner the air is than it was when I was a child. Whatever else drives me crazy about the government of the state, they have done a great job at reducing air pollution.

I still find it necessary to tell visitors that the haze over the coast is marine layer/fog, NOT smoke or smog, because the assumption of the general public is that LA's air is filthy.

Of course, when there's a nearby wildfire, all bets are off.

Totally agree with all of this. Been her my whole life and can absolutely attest that the air now is 1000x cleaner than when I was a kid. Our Government really has done an outstanding job in cleaning up emissions/smog etc. There is basically almost zero smog now in LA.

[As Above So Below...]

That is true. The air is much better in the LA Basin now than it was when I was growing up. Perhaps a lot of the causes just moved to the IE.

[dontbelievehim]

Okay, so they used their own formula

While all data analyzed for the list was taken from the EPA, which collects information from states' regulatory air monitors, SmartSurvey's decision to give disproportionate importance in their calculation to "good days" — when air pollution poses little to no health risk to residents — means cities with consistent low-level pollution scored worse than they might have otherwise.




The SmartSurvey report attributed the rankings to the prevalence of industrial and fossil fuel emissions. Scientists, advocates and local governments in the Houston area have frequently decried how the city's lack of zoning has allowed polluting industries to locate adjacent to residential neighborhoods, often in communities of color.

More on Houston
But industry near minorities isn't just an htown issue

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

One year report (2023?)
Is this survey company legit?

SmartSurvey is legit, but who knows about the study itself. We notice that one can't access the actual method by which the data was obtained.

[BOORGONG]

Originally Posted by saibot

As a 50+ year resident of the LA metro area, I can hardly exaggerate how much cleaner the air is than it was when I was a child. Whatever else drives me crazy about the government of the state, they have done a great job at reducing air pollution.

I still find it necessary to tell visitors that the haze over the coast is marine layer/fog, NOT smoke or smog, because the assumption of the general public is that LA's air is filthy.

Of course, when there's a nearby wildfire, all bets are off.

To top it off, all other jurisdictions in North America and the Western world can thank California for leadership in environmental legislation.

I remember driving on an East West highway, coming from the desert through the hills and witnessing an orange/brownish halo sun setting. This was in 1990, and the lead free fuel had long been established as the standard. Is this still possible apart from wildfires breaking out?

[dontbelievehim]

Today's air quality


Let's keep this going
drop the gas lawn equipment, upgrade to better vehicles, stop using fireplaces, etc.. It all makes a difference.

[CA4Now]

The survey quoted in the Bloomingtonian (OP) is in complete contrast to the American Lung Association's survey.

"In addition to the 25 worst cities for each pollutant in the Report Cards section, the 25 most polluted counties for ozone and particle pollution are ranked in the tables below." (Cities in Indiana rank well below the many California cities on this list.)

https://www.lung.org/research/sota/k...olluted-places

https://www.lung.org/research/sota/c...olluted-cities

https://www.latimes.com/environment/...ity-once-again

[dontbelievehim]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

The survey quoted in the Bloomingtonian (OP) is in complete contrast to the American Lung Association's survey.

"In addition to the 25 worst cities for each pollutant in the Report Cards section, the 25 most polluted counties for ozone and particle pollution are ranked in the tables below." (Cities in Indiana rank well below the many California cities on this list.)

https://www.lung.org/research/sota/k...olluted-places

https://www.lung.org/research/sota/c...olluted-cities

https://www.latimes.com/environment/...ity-once-again

DATA
What data are they using?
2020-21 had record wildfires
2022 was an improvement, but it still had wildfires
2023 virtually no fires
The link I posted was about 2023 DATA
Edit
2023 inland empire had the worst air quality according to my link. It wasnt all good news for CA


This morning