17:08 13 April 2024
Air Pollution in Poland to be the Worst in the Entire EU
During this heating season in Poland, there was one severe smog episode. It occurred in early January when nighttime temperatures dropped to 10-12 degrees Celsius below zero. The weather was calm, and the concentrations of suspended particulate matter throughout the country reached 200 micrograms – that is very high. The norm is 50 micrograms. On one hand, there is a visible improvement in air quality in Poland – it is slow but ongoing and progressing. However, on the other hand, when compared to other European Union countries – the last two reports from the European Environment Agency for the full years of 2022 and 2021 show that our country was in the first, inglorious position in terms of air pollution.
"I will remind you that only in February did we have temperatures several degrees Celsius – so it's easy to conclude that we had quite clean air and much cleaner than in previous years. Moreover, it's not just the weather – because the trend of improving air quality in Poland is noticeable and has been occurring for several years. Poles are replacing boilers, and the number of old, inefficient stoves is decreasing. It must be acknowledged that the weather helps us. However, we still have a lot of work to do to match other European Union countries in improving air quality," Piotr Siergiej, spokesperson for the Polish Smog Alarm, pointed out.
