Officials with the North Carolina Division of Air Quality say people in the state are breathing the cleanest air in decades as emissions of harmful air pollutants reach historic lows.
The “Air Quality Trends in North Carolina” report attributes the decline of air pollution emissions to efforts by state leaders, regulatory agencies, electric utilities, industry, and the public to address air quality concerns in recent years.
Since 1990, emissions of sulfur dioxide have dropped 94 percent; carbon dioxide emissions are down 73 percent; and oxides of nitrogen and 72 percent lower.
The report shows the major source of these declines is electricity production. More of North Carolina’s power is coming from clean sources like solar, and energy efficiency improvements in homes and buildings.
Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion have decreased by 21% from 2005 to 2018 due to both a shift in fuel use and increased energy efficiency.
