Seven nations last year had air quality that complied with WHO guidelines. Canada, known for its clean air, was hit hard by record-breaking wildfires. For the first time in history, these wildfires made Canadian air quality worse than that of the United States.

The annual World Air Quality Report was released by IQAir, a Swiss company. They examined information from 134 different countries’ more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations. They measured the quality of the air using standards established by the World Health Organization. These recommendations concentrate on PM 2.5 pollution, which is produced by industrial processes, wildfires, and vehicle exhaust, among other sources.

Although Canada is known for having clean air, the wildfires altered that. Canada’s air quality was worse than that of the US due to smoke and haze from these fires. This is significant because it has long been believed that Canada’s air is cleaner than that of its southern neighbor.

The majority of the highly polluted cities were discovered to be in Canada in the report. Fourteen of the fifteen most polluted cities in the United States and Canada were located in Canada. In terms of overall air quality, the United States came in at number 102 and Canada at number 93. The nation with the highest pollutant level was Bangladesh.

The western provinces of Canada were hardest hit by the wildfires. Large tracts of land were burned by these fires, producing a lot of smoke and haze. There were wildfires even in northern cities like Yellowknife, which don’t typically experience them. As fires approached their communities, thousands of people were forced to flee their homes.

Canada saw an alarmingly high number of wildfires in 2023. Over 18 million hectares of land were burned by more than 6,500 fires. This represented a significant rise over the prior year.

Paul Kovacs, an expert from Western University, said that wildfires are usually seen as a problem in the western part of Canada. But after the devastating fires of last year, it’s clear that wildfires are a national issue. They can affect any part of the country and cause damage, loss, and health problems.

The effects of the wildfires extended beyond Canada. Millions of people in the eastern United States experienced poor air quality as a result of smoke from fires that spread to urban areas. Last year’s Canadian wildfires acted as a wake-up call. They demonstrated how wildfires can affect the entire country and are not limited to a specific region. To protect the environment and public health, Canada must take steps to control and prevent wildfires.