New Report Shows North Carolina’s Air Is Trending Cleaner

Let’s start 2026 with a piece of good environmental news for North Carolina: Our air is getting cleaner.

In December, the NC Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ), through its Division of Air Quality, published the latest update to its “Air Quality Trends in North Carolina” report. According to DEQ, North Carolinians are breathing the cleanest air we’ve seen in decades, as pollutants like carbon monoxide and fine particulates (soot) continue their long-term decline. 

The report says “statewide emissions of the air pollutants regulated under the federal Clean Air Act have declined sharply from 1990 through 2022. Specifically, emissions fell 

• 95% for sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• 74% for carbon monoxide (CO)
• 71% for nitrogen oxides (NOx)
• 48% for fine particles (PM2.5)
• 67% for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).”

Why Do We See These Improvements?

The report attributes these improvements to several specific changes, including the decline in use of coal for power generation, the increase of clean sources of energy for electric power, energy efficiency improvements in homes and buildings, and cleaner emissions from cars and trucks thanks to improvements in engine and fuel standards as well as emission control systems. The report projects continued reduction in mobile source emissions will result from a projected transition to electric vehicles.

What’s Next?

NCLCV will note here that this good news comes with its own warning. All of the trends noted above are at severe risk now due to pro-fossil fuel polices advanced by the Trump Administration and pro-polluter leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Accordingly, we must fight back against their attempts to move backward if we are to retain the benefits of cleaner air like these noted in the DEQ report:

• The number of ozone exceedance days statewide continues to be low. From 2015-2024, North Carolina recorded just two days of “Code Red” or above for ozone in the state, compared to 83 such days from 2005-2014.
• Visibility in our national and state parks has improved noticeably in the last three decades, due to reductions in emissions of SO2, NOx and other air pollutants that scatter light. For example, in 2023, visitors could see as far as 119 miles at Great Smoky Mountains National Park during an average clear day, compared with just 54 miles in 1996.
• Net greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion have decreased by 38% from 2005 to 2020 due to both a shift in fuel use and increased energy efficiency. During this same period, North Carolina’s population and real Gross State Product grew by 20% and 23%, respectively.
• From 1993-2022, combined emissions of federally designated Hazardous Air Pollutants and state-designated Toxic Air Pollutants have fallen by more than 108 million pounds, an 82% drop.

Our assignment is clear if we want to continue our progress toward cleaner air. Let’s get to work in 2026!