Additional Environmental Measures

Topic Box from the 2006 Sixth Annual Benchmark Report

The 'environment' is not easily summarized – especially in cross-jurisdictional comparisons – in any single indicator. For this reason, the Progress Board uses an index to measure environmental quality in its core measurement framework based on indicators available across provincial boundaries. To supplement our core environmental quality index and the three indicators that underpin it (urban air quality, greenhouse gas emissions per capita and protected areas) a number of additional measures less commonly used and frequently without comparison in other jurisdictions may enhance our understanding of BC's overall environmental performance.

Air Quality Measures – One of the most commonly used environmental indicators is air quality, as measurement and analysis is both simple and cost effective relative to most other environmental indicators. Air quality is generally measured in terms of the size and amount of particulate matter in the air. This matter is produced by the burning of fossil fuels and combustion engines and most commonly seen in the environment in the form of smoke or smog, can pose a significant health risk to humans when breathed in large quantities.

Particulate matter based air quality measures provide an excellent method of benchmarking pollution levels, both between jurisdictions and across time. Such measures have begun to illustrate that air quality in many regions in North America is in fact improving. However, while traditional air quality measures may be improving, questions frequently arise regarding their reliability. Air quality measurements are extremely vulnerable to measurement bias. For example, a measure taken upwind of an industrial area or in a rural location will appear much more favourable than one taken elsewhere. And as the types of industry – and the pollutants they release – change over time and between jurisdictions, the continued relevance of focusing on particulate matter-based measures is questioned.

While air quality measures continue to be extremely valuable indicators, it is necessary to pay careful attention to where, and how it is being measured before making firm claims about overall air quality improvements. Using additional measures of air quality to enhance the information provided by traditional particulate matter statistics also provide a more comprehensive view of the current quality of the air we breathe. Measures such as mercury, groundlevel ozone, nitrogen oxide, climate change trends and carbon monoxide are all valuable indicators that are gaining acceptance and will help to provide a more comprehensive environmental snapshot. Unfortunately, widespread measurement continues to be restricted both by data collection challenges and costs.

British Columbia recently piloted the World's first Air Quality Health Index for fourteen communities throughout BC in the summer and fall of 2006. The Index provides a number between one and ten indicating the level of risk from a community's air quality. Based on the level of the index, health information is available for the at risk population and the general population. Indicators in the index include: ground-level ozone; particulate matter; nitrogen dioxide; and, sulfur dioxide.

Water Quality Measures – Assessing water quality attempts to provide a comprehensive picture of the overall state of the environment, and especially in determining the effects that industrial pollutants, pesticides, fertilizers, and wastewater are having on our environment and health. Adequate supplies of clean water are a necessity for the health of British Columbians and industries such as tourism, recreation, agriculture, and fisheries. A variety of water quality related measures are available to monitor water sources including, among others: measurements of the amount of wastewater treated in a jurisdiction to reduce environmental stress; number of boiled water advisories issued in response to contamination threats; waterborne human disease outbreaks caused by parasites; changes in groundwater levels; extent and/or alteration of freshwater ecosystems; sea surface temperature; clarity; changing stream flows; and, withdrawals for human use.

Land Quality Measures – Land-based environmental measures are a final important component in ensuring overall environmental quality. Indicators include changes in total areas of cropland, forest, grasslands and wetlands; species at risk; forest age; forest disturbances including fire frequency, insects, and disease; timber growth and harvest; cattle production; agricultural inputs and outputs including pesticides and fertilizers; industrial toxic waste releases; municipal waste; soil biological condition; and, near surface temperature, an indicator of climate change.

Despite the variety of potential measures available to expand current environmental reporting, the majority continue to face ongoing measurement and collection challenges. To allow comprehensive environmental reporting over time and across jurisdictions, problems of inadequate and incomplete data, specific measurement definitions, and measurement techniques must be effectively addressed. Some detailed information and actual measures – beyond the cross-jurisdictional indicators within our core reporting framework – are included in the table opposite.