Air quality in Kosovo among worst in Europe: UNICEF

BELGRADE, Serbia

UNICEF on Tuesday reported that the air in Kosovo has 25 times the limit for children of a dangerous pollutant, making its air quality among the worst in Europe.

UNICEF held a launch meeting in the capital Pristina for the "A Climate Landscape Analysis for Children" report, which sheds light on how climate change, the environment and energy problems affect children's rights and access to vital services in the country.

According to the report, environment and climate change represent three of the five main factors endangering the health of children under age 5 in Kosovo and all Western Balkan countries.

The problems endangering children's health include water scarcity, forest fires, poor air quality, food security, and climate change.

"Kosovo’s air quality is among the worst in Europe, with daily PM2.5 levels, the most dangerous air pollutant, reaching up to 367 micrograms per square meter – more than 25 times the WHO’s safe limit for children," said the report.

President Vjosa Osmani said at the event that approximately 23% of children in Kosovo live below the national poverty line.

"The number of forest fires is increasing, and the air we breathe is considered to be among the most polluted in Europe and even in the world," said Osmani.

Thermoelectric power plants, which produce approximately 90% of the electricity consumed in Kosovo and were built between the 1960s and 1980s, are considered to be among the main factors of air pollution in the country.