Thanks to wildfires, air quality in Canada is now worse than in the United States, according to a new report.

A report published today, Tuesday, the sixth annual Global Air Quality report found that air quality in Canada during 2023 was worse than in the United States for the first time in the report's history.

Among the 15 most polluted cities in the two countries, 14 were in Canada, headed by Fort McMurray and Peace River in Alberta. Other cities include Yellowknife, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Canmore in Alta.

The report explained that in 2023, air quality in North America was heavily affected by large-scale Canadian wildfires that broke out from May to October, burning an area almost half the size of Germany. Thus, 2023 was the first example in the history of this report where Canada surpassed the United States in regional pollution rankings."

The report also found that only seven countries met the World Health Organization air quality guidelines: Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand.

Overall, Canada ranked 93rd out of 134 countries studied in the report, while Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India occupied the top three positions. All one hundred cities with the worst air pollution in the world, except for one city, were located in Asia, including 83 cities in India.

The study specifically looked at fine particles, or PM2.5, which are small but dangerous air particles that can include emissions from gasoline, oil, diesel fuel, and wood burning. When inhaled, PM2.5 can penetrate deep into the lungs and is associated with asthma, cancer, lung diseases, and other respiratory illnesses.

The report said: "Climate change, driven primarily by greenhouse gas emissions, plays a pivotal role in affecting PM2.5 air pollutant concentrations. Fossil fuel emissions are simultaneously responsible for the majority of PM2.5-related deaths."

In Alberta alone, PM2.5 levels in May 2023 were approximately nine times higher than the same period in 2022, according to the report.

In 2023, 41 percent of Canadian cities recorded PM2.5 levels that were double the World Health Organization air quality guidelines. Only 23 Canadian cities met these annual guidelines in 2023, down from 61 cities in 2022. According to the report, the 15 most polluted regional cities in Canada and the United States include 10 cities in Alberta, which are:

Fort McMurray, Alta;

Peace River, Alta.

Yellowknife;

Fort St. John, British Columbia;

Fort Saskatchewan, Alta;

Spruce Grove, Alta.

Edmonton.

St. Albert, Alta.

Sherwood Park, Alta.

Saskatoon;

Canmore, Alta.

Cold Lake, Alta.

Leduc, Alta.

Platteville, Wisconsin.

Prince George, British Columbia.

About four percent of Canada's forests were burned during the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season, which saw more evacuations and burned area than any previous recorded season. Only one Canadian city – Prince Rupert, British Columbia – was listed among the 15 least polluted cities in Canada and the United States.

The Global Air Quality report is published by IQAir, a Swiss company specializing in air quality technology.

Frank Hams, CEO of IQAir Global, told CNN: "We see that air pollution has an impact on every part of our lives." "In some of the most polluted countries, it is likely to reduce people’s lives by between three to six years, and before that, it causes many years of suffering that could be completely avoided if the air quality was better."