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Air pollution in the six countries of the Western Balkans is at a high level. The increase in premature deaths from air pollution is also a worrying problem.
A report by the Joint Research Center on the status of air, environment and climate in the Western Balkans concludes that air pollution in the region is high and “air quality remains a concern”.
The findings of the report serve to achieve the goal of “zero pollution” based on the “Green Deal”. The six leaders of the Western Balkans adopted at the Sofia Summit in November 2020 the “Green Agenda” as well as a roadmap that aims to align the region with the “European Green Deal” to make Europe a carbon neutral continent by 2050.
The report in question considers it very important to reduce air pollution in the BP region as it “reduces pollution in neighboring EU member states”.
Increase in premature deaths from air pollution
Referring to the life-threatening consequences of poor air quality, the report states that in 2019, air pollution caused 28,400 premature deaths in the Western Balkans, and 307,000 in the EU countries. The number of premature deaths in the Western Balkans is 30 percent higher than the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution in 2012, while in the EU they have decreased by 16 percent, the report notes.
The level of premature deaths in the Western Balkans from air pollution is higher than the average of EU countries and in some cases it is twice as high, the report states. Among the EU member states, the countries neighboring the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Greece and Croatia, have the highest level of premature deaths, which clearly indicates the “presence of a cross-border hotspot”.
The report’s findings warn that diseases caused by air pollution, such as “pulmonary diseases, lung cancer, lower respiratory tract infections, diabetes, ischemic heart disease or stroke, are likely to become even more prevalent in Western Balkans, unless immediate action is taken.”
High level of greenhouse gas emissions
The high level of greenhouse gas emissions that pollute the air in the Western Balkans, about 61.7 percent, comes from coal-fired power plants, “16 power plants operating in the region use lignite with a high sulfur content,” the report states.
The EU’s “Green Deal” aims to reduce premature deaths due to air pollution by 55 percent in 2030.
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