SKOPJE: Around a thousand people protested on Saturday in Skopje against air pollution in North Macedonia’s capital, which often ranks among the most polluted cities in Europe.

It was the second such demonstration in less than a month in Skopje, with the previous march involving a slightly smaller crowd of several hundred people.

The participants of Saturday’s march through downtown Skopje, dubbed “Come out for clean air”, sought from the authorities to undertake immediate measures over the issue.

“Our air is poison, our government is deaf” and “Future cannot be seen from smog” read some of the banners carried by the protesters. The march was organised by several environmental groups and citizens’ initiatives.

The urgent measures sought by the protesters include increasing inspection for industrial facilities, ecological heating of state facilities, promoting the use of public transport and bicycles as well as better waste management.

Almost 4,000 people in North Macedonia die each year due to exposure to PM2.5 particles, the smallest particulate matter that can be inhaled and the most dangerous to human health, according to the Institute for Public Health.

Air pollution is the cause of 20 percent of premature deaths in 19 Balkan cities, according to a UN study from 2019. People living in the region lose in average up to 1.3 years of their life due to air pollution, the study showed.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2024