What You Need to Know About the Air Quality in San Diego
Air quality varies from city to city, and you may think that in some cities the air feels cleaner. In densely populated locations, residents are more likely to suffer from a variety of health issues due to high levels of air pollution.
This is a serious matter in San Diego in particular, as millions of residents living there are at risk of the negative effects of air pollution. Statistics show that thousands of people die annually as a result of poor air quality, which demonstrates the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the air we breathe.
Many cities around the world have started to take health and environmental issues more seriously and have put measures in place to tackle the problem. It’s good to know about the air quality of where you live, particularly if you suffer from respiratory issues.
This article will inform you of what you need to know about the air quality in San Diego and what can be done to improve the living conditions of citizens.
How Clean is the Air in San Diego?
Monitoring air quality in cities is something that can be achieved by the majority of local governments. This is essential to allow those in charge to understand how clean the air is and to implement appropriate strategies that will create a better living for residents. The most common instrument to use is the Air Quality Index (AQI), which performs like a thermometer but instead of measuring temperature, it measures air pollution.
The values provided by the AQI change daily. In recent reports, San Diego scored 39 in the AQI, which is ‘good’. Despite this rating, the city does experience some days of poor air quality throughout the year.
How is San Diego Improving Air Quality?
Due to its location, San Diego is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change that may be triggered by increased air pollution. For this reason, the local government has started to make the necessary changes to improve the present quality of life of the residents and the future of the city by putting a regional sustainability plan into place. This plan particularly focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption as well as promoting walking as a preferred method of transportation.
Fuel emissions play a major part in contributing to poor air quality, as it creates the greenhouse effect which results in global warming. In addition to this, these emissions are linked to a deterioration of the health and welfare of the citizens of San Diego. This is why so many individuals in this area may have increased respiratory issues and cardiovascular problems as well as weakened immune systems.
The image below (citation: comparethemarket) depicts the amount of access different countries have to renewable energy resources and the potential of implementation. As you can see, the USA in general can do a lot to improve the quality of the environment. This suggests there is a lot of potential for San Diego to implement renewable energy sources, which can significantly reduce air pollution and improve overall air quality in the city as the state becomes less reliant on fossil fuels.
What Can I Do to Improve Air Quality in San Diego?
- Be Sensible When Choosing Car Fuel
Drivers usually worry about obtaining the cheapest fuel for their vehicle, considering this expense can be a particularly high one. However, generally the cheaper the fuel is, the worse the potential impacts on the environment.
If you must use your car, you will want to find cost-effective solutions. There are ways you can find cheap fuel whilst ensuring it’s of good quality for your vehicle as well as for the environment.
- Have a Better Understanding of Air Pollution
A massive issue in our society is a lack of knowledge or ignorance when it comes to the problems that affect us as individuals and as communities. If you want to start improving the air quality in your city, having a better understanding of what air pollution is, what causes it, and the impacts it has is a good start. Although people do know that air pollution exists, they don’t see how it’s affecting us in the present.
- Walk or Bike More Often
C02 emissions from vehicles are one of the greatest contributors to air pollution, but the good news is that this is something that everyone can change. There are better ways to commute rather than driving – for one thing, you can walk or cycle if the journey is short enough. If you must use a vehicle, consider public transport or even carpooling so that fewer vehicles are needed.
Air pollution not only affects the environment, but it also affects the health of every individual that breathes, even when the impacts are not necessarily visibly clear. This should be everyone’s responsibility. Hopefully, with the information we discussed above, you’ve gained insight into San Diego’s air quality as well as learnt how to take appropriate action towards improving the air quality in your city.
