Air Pollution in the Western Balkans: Key Messages for Policy-Makers and the Public

Across the Western Balkans, air pollution levels are breathtakingly high, and take an enormous toll on human health and mortality. Air pollution is the single greatest environmental threat to human health in the region, and in the world. City dwellers in the Western Balkans breathe air with concentrations of pollutants up to five times higher than levels specified in national, European, and WHO Air Quality Guidance standards. As this report points out, air pollution steals an average of 13–16 months of life from city dwellers in the region, and accounts for a total of nearly 5,000 deaths. Air pollution also serves as a warning for the tangible lack of climate action underway. This Study on Air Quality and Human Health in the Western Balkans covers 19 towns and cities and is the first regional assessment that quantifies the impact of air pollution on human health in the region. The synthesis report presents an easy-to-read summary of findings whose main purpose is to motivate decision makers in the region and mobilize long-overdue action to combat air pollution.