The capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, has been ranked among the ten most polluted cities in Europe.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people took to the streets, urging the government to implement immediate measures to address the severe air pollution affecting the city.Some protesters wore gas masks and chanted slogans like “We want air, we want to breathe.” The demonstration followed a report identifying Skopje as one of Europe’s most polluted cities.
“I’m protesting because we don’t have clean air. This is systematically killing all of us, and it’s time for the government to act,” 22-year-old student Anastasija told AFP.
According to North Macedonia’s Institute of Public Health, nearly 4,000 people die annually in the country due to exposure to PM2.5 particles. These are the smallest airborne particulates, easily inhalable, and considered the most dangerous to human health.
Several environmental organizations that organized the protest criticized the government for failing to allocate funds in the national budget to combat air pollution. Protesters are demanding essential measures, including restricting the import of vehicles with low emissions standards (which produce more pollution), increasing inspections of industrial facilities, and addressing unmanaged waste dumps.
