Hungary and Poland among countries with most polluted air

The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reported in a new study that Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary belong to those European countries where the air is the most polluted. Other countries include Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia.

• Several Hungarian cities hit by poor air quality

Kafkadesk reported that Poland stands out as the most polluted country in Europe. The study writes that “the cities of Warsaw and Lodz, and their surrounding areas, see high levels of particulate pullulation,” furthermore “residents in Warsaw may loose 1.2 years life expectancy.” Poland is followed by Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. As Poland’s reliance on coal power is accounting for more than 70 per cent of energy supply, this seems to be the reason behind the country’s bad air quality. 

Additionally, the report finds that the most polluted areas are Moravskoslezský in the Czech Republic, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County in Hungary, Košický in Slovakia, and Warsaw in Poland.