How to “Clean” the Air in the Capital City – Can Belgrade Follow Warsaw’s Example?

That Belgrade, along with Sarajevo, Skopje and some other cities in the Western Balkans, is often at the top of the list when it comes to air pollution is not even news anymore – Belgrade is first now, then third, then 17th on this list, but that it is in the top 20 cities in the world frequently is known by anybody who follows air quality reports with any regularity. However, one city in the European Union was also frequently at the top of this list until this autumn/winter season, but after the local decree that bans the use of coal in households and then the subsidies offered to the citizens, in 2023, this city reduced its emissions below the levels proscribed by the EU law for the first time.

The city is Warsaw, one of the most polluted cities in Poland, which, together with Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, has reported record-breaking levels of pollution in the past period. At certain stations over there, the smog would exceed the allowed values 3 to 7 times, and there were even appeals by the authorities for the citizens not to go outside unless absolutely necessary.

As reported at the time, the Warsaw Smog Alarm organization would say that, every year, around 3,000 residents of Warsaw died too early from the consequences of diseases caused by polluted air, exceeding the number of people killed in traffic accidents each year in Poland.

After that, certain public personalities in Poland also sued the state because, as the media reported, it jeopardizes their health and does little to reduce the pollution. And then the first collective lawsuit of 223 Polish citizens was filed against the state of Poland. They demanded that the government admit the responsibility for the smog and polluted air.

The extent to which air pollution is related to diseases and mortality is also shown by the previously published data of the European Union, which say that, on average, air pollution contributes 4-19% to the overall premature mortality. Furthermore, as estimated, coal-based thermal power plants in the Western Balkans are responsible for economic damage based on health costs, which amount to EUR 1.2 to 3.4 billion a year.

Whether due to the truly high costs of treatment and the increased mortality due to pollution, but Warsaw adopted the decree last October which has, apparently, improved the air pollution situation.

– In October, in Warsaw, the local ban on the use of coal in households came into effect. It is important to say that the ban does not take the form of a penalty. Instead, the residents expressed their opinions about it in a survey and the ban was supported by 74% residents of Warsaw. The mayor of Warsaw devised a plan and offered subsidies of up to EUR 15,000 to residents. Special accent was placed on heat pumps and increasing energy efficiency. The result is such that, as soon as this winter, a drop in pollution was visible. In addition to providing them with a cleaner air, these measures have also saved money for the citizens. On average, the energy costs of a household have dropped as much as 27%. And the most important thing is that the number of hospitalizations and premature deaths has reduced – Bojan Simisic, the president of the “Eko Straza” Association, claims in a statement for eKapija.

He says that, this way, Warsaw complied with the EU law for the first time.

– Although the World Health Organization has lowered the threshold for the average annual concentration of PM particles from 10 to 5, in the European Union, those values are still at 20, but they are also now lowering them to 10 – Simisic says.

This winter, Warsaw achieved values below 20, and according to our interviewee, values below 10 will be difficult to achieve for many.

– The average concentration of PM particles in Belgrade ranges between 20 and 25, depending on which year we are observing. That is why we have now launched a campaign in which we want to collect, for a start, 10,000 signatures for the abolition of mazut and fuel oil by 2025. We believe that no sudden drastic change is good and that, through such smaller steps, we can achieve more. We are a step away from having enough signatures and when we collect them, we will hand over our request to the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Ministry of Environmental Protection – adds Simisic.

According to him, the problem in Serbia is that even the measures that are adopted are not implemented.

– For example, the government has adopted the Air Quality Plan for 2022-2030, but that plan is not implemented, because the Ministry of Finance is not setting aside money for the implementation of that document. There are some projections according to which, in our country, the pollution would reduce by a third if only the existing acts were implemented – says Simisic.

Our interviewee also believes that giving subsidies to households would eventually pay off for the state.

– Unfortunately, oncology diseases are frequently mentioned as a consequence of air pollution, but in fact, heart diseases are the most frequent consequence. When all the treatment, sick leaves and other similar things are calculated in, it is certain that all the subsidies would return to the state in five years – claims Simisic.

According to him, Belgrade is not even the only noticeably polluted city in Serbia. Since the measuring stations were installed in some smaller cities, it has turned out, according to our interviewee, that Novi Pazar, for example, is one of the 40 most polluted cities in Europe, and there are also Valjevo, Uzice and Nis.

And the other numbers cited on the “Eko Straza” website are unforgiving too – 15,480 people in Serbia die from pollution each year, the 18 thermal power plants of the Western Balkans pollute more than the 250 thermal power plants of the EU, Serbia is no. 1 in Europe when it comes to pollution according to a report by GAPH, and the quantity of PM2.5 particles measured by “Eko Straza” is 47 times higher than the allowed maximum (as per the WHO).

Our interviewee believes that this petition, that is, the filing of the request for the shutting down of boiler rooms which use mazut and fuel oil and the final ban of the use within 18 months, is the first of the significant steps thanks to which Belgrade can be like Warsaw too as soon as next winter. Not just Belgrade either, but all other places in Serbia too.

He reminds that everybody interested in signing the request can still do so HERE.

D. Stanimirovic-Gavrilov

Eko straža

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo zaštite životne sredine Republike Srbije

Eko straža

Bojan Simišić

Western Balkans

World Health Organization

air pollution

air quality

European Union

Krakow

Wroclaw

medical treatment costs

economic damage

premature mortality

oncology diseases

cardiovascular diseases

use of coal in households

petition

campaign

request for shutting down boiler rooms using mazut and fuel oil

Warsaw Smog Alarm organization