what the pandemic taught metro vancouver about air pollution

by: nathan griffithscovid-19 provided metro vancouver with an involuntary experiment in how large reductions in emissions can improve air quality in the region.as pandemic restrictions went into place last march and businesses closed or shifted to a work from home model, the region’s air quality improved significantly, approaching levels authorities were planning to reach by 2050.work is currently underway at metro vancouver on two long-termair qualityandclimate actionplans that the regional authority says are “are critical to setting a path for clean air and a carbon-neutral region.”“we need to match that level of reduction and then some,” said roger quan, director of air quality and climate change at metro vancouver.“shutting down the economy isn’t the answer, but we’re hoping to build awareness and support for achieving the same level of reductions through different policies and interventions.”results from a monitoring station on clark drive in vancouver highlighted how last year’s dramatic reduction in vehicle traffic was a major contributor to the improved air quality. the station measures both nitrogen dioxide (no2) — which comes primarily from burning fuel — and traffic volumes on the road. as traffic volumes fell, so did no2 levels.traffic levels have climbed since last spring’s low, but remain about 15 per cent below 2019 levels, according to metro vancouver. quan said the changes in air quality brought about by the pandemic highlighted the level of reduction that was possible and the steps that individuals can take to support it.he highlighted the current bicycle shortage and the increase in e-bike sales as a sign that people were beginning to reconsider how they get around in the region.“if we can reduce the amount of traffic, and then if you were to layer in and reduce the tailpipe and reduce traffic, you get a sense of how quickly the environment could recover and what level of reductions is possible,” said quan.fewer cars and more bikes doesn’t only help the environment but offers significant individual health benefits, both physical and mental, according to dr. melissa lem, president-elect of the canadian association of physicians for the environment and a clinical assistant professor at the university of british columbia.“there is evidence showing that people who have longer commutes have more mood issues and they have worse cardiovascular health,” she said.lem said active transportation, like biking or walking, not only reduces health risks but helps better connect people with their communities. because people have invested in e-bikes or other active transportation over the past year, she said, those experiences should help them continue the habit.“air pollution kills over 15,000 canadians every year,” lem said, noting how close that is to the roughly 22,000 canadians who died from covid-19 during the first year of the pandemic.“we have to take that same spirit of community mobilization to protect each other [from covid-19] and direct it towards air quality.“we can rapidly improve our air quality,” said lem. “if we make a concerted effort, we can make a huge difference.”ngriffiths@postmedia.comtwitter.com/njgriffiths