A huge change
Besides the World Cup, the other international event that has been the talk of the nation is the wildfires. While they aren’t as bad as they were at the beginning of last week, some people still had to endure their effects as they slowly faded away. One resident from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shared before-and-after pictures of the city’s air quality, and the difference is so astounding that people are wondering why the government didn’t stop some sports events or encourage everyone to stay indoors.
The difference in air quality between Thursday and Sunday
byu/jaykirell inphiladelphia
While the wildfires are still raging, it seems that some states are now enjoying better air quality, and you can see that thanks to user Jaykirell on Reddit, who shared a before-and-after picture on the city’s subreddit.
In it, you can see the comparison of air quality between Thursday and Sunday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By the looks of it, both pictures were taken inside Citizens Bank Park, and the difference is monumental.
The left image clearly shows a darkened sky due to the wildfires that were hitting several places across the country. Some even reached a Code Red or Purple due to how unhealthy the air quality was during those days. The other picture, however, is from yesterday, and you can now observe a cleaner sky that looks like the one every Philadelphian looks at daily.
And while it is great to see things slowly going back to normal, many residents think that some events, such as the Phillies games, should have been postponed, as the air quality was terrible for those in the audience, but most importantly, those playing on the field.
Pennsylvania Redditors Wonder Why The Government Didn’t Take Drastic Measures
As we mentioned above, some states reached a Code Red or Purple, which indicate unhealthy and very unhealthy air quality, respectively. With how things looked in Philadelphia, many were surprised to see that the city went on with its business without any changes to protect those going outside of their homes when the wildfire smoke hit.
“Can’t believe the Phillies front office allowed the game to be played in that.“
“Even with a mask, my lungs hurt after walking to/from work. The number of people I saw just hanging out outside made me feel like I was going insane.“
As a silver lining, some other states have already reported improved air quality and decided to share the news.
“Nice to have the sky back, innit? We had ours mostly back yesterday, here in the Detroit area.“
Even if the sky is looking better and breathing around the city is much easier now, we should all still be careful, as the wildfires are still going and could continue to affect us.
