Air pollution threatens the health of 667 thousand people across 10 districts in Canterbury. The average PM2.5 level is 4.5 Āµg/mĀ³, within the WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Canterbury faces significant air pollution challenges. 0% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 667 thousand across 10 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 4.5Āµg/mĀ³. That's 0.9 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5Āµg/mĀ³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 75 cigarettes in a year.
If Canterbury met the WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³, the average person would live 0 years longer.
That's 0 years of life stolen from 667 thousand people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 10 most polluted districts in Canterbury. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 Āµg/mĀ³āonly populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Canterbury, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 Āµg/mĀ³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch | 396K | 4.9 | 0.0 years |
| Selwyn | 66K | 3.6 | 0.0 years |
| Waimakariri | 65K | 3.9 | 0.0 years |
| Timaru | 50K | 4.2 | 0.0 years |
| Ashburton | 36K | 3.8 | 0.0 years |
| Waitaki | 24K | 3.7 | 0.0 years |
| Hurunui | 14K | 3.3 | 0.0 years |
| Waimate | 8K | 3.5 | 0.0 years |
| Mackenzie | 5K | 3.8 | 0.0 years |
| Kaikoura | 3K | 3.8 | 0.0 years |
Showing 10 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³.