Poor air quality was identified as one of the causes of increased mortality, shorter life expectancy, reduced fertility, and higher healthcare costs in the Western Balkans. Obsolete industrial polluters, coal-fired power plants and widespread use of fossil fuels for heating made Western Balkans the region with the highest air pollution rates in Europe. Civil society organizations from the region identified the problem and joined forces to increase public awareness and accountability of institutions.
The joint campaign "Balkans United for Clean Air" was initiated in January 2021 by the European Fund for the Balkans in partnership with the following organizations: Eco Forum from Zenica, Environmental Territorial Management Institute from Tirana, Sbunker and Balkan Green Foundation from Priština, Air Care from Skopje, OZON from Podgorica, Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute and Belgrade Open School from Belgrade. The campaign was aimed to raise the awareness of the region's citizens about the causes and consequences of pollution, possible ways of improving air quality, and the struggle for a healthier environment.
The campaign continued with the joint tree-planting actions "Trees of Friendship", organized simultaneously in six regional cities, as an announcement for the second edition of the clean air campaign.
From December 2021 to April 2022, the campaign took place for the second year. It consisted of press releases, videos and visuals about air pollution-related topics. The campaign covered the following topics: the impact of large air polluters, relations between air pollution and infertility, mortality rates due to air pollution, how air pollution is related to covid-19, air pollution monitoring, and the Green agenda as a set of tools aimed to improve the air quality. Each topic was elaborated through concrete indicators of problems but also provided possible solutions.
Apart from national representatives – organizations who implemented the campaign, hundreds of individuals and organizations expressed their interest in participating by filling out the participation forms. Thousands of social media shares and comments demonstrated that the solidarity actions could overcome barriers and help reach the ultimate goal of the campaign – clean air for everyone.
More information about the campaign can be found here: facebook.com/BalkansUnitedforCleanAir