The Belgrade Open School (BOS) organized the second consecutive "Man, Don’t Suffocate!" conference on air quality in Serbia, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Climate Foundation (ECF), as part of the "Together for the Environment" and "Local Actors for Clean Energy and Air" projects.

In her opening speech, Mirjana Jovanović, Program Manager at the Belgrade Open School in the energy, climate, and environment program area, reminded the audience that BOŠ has been addressing air quality issues since 2018 and that the BOŠ network for citizen air monitoring is continuously growing.

"Together with our local partners, we are constantly working on providing sensors, training citizens, and developing methodologies for monitoring local air quality. We are continuing our efforts and aiming to install 100 more sensors. Currently, 40 locations across Serbia have our devices, and they provide us with valuable data," stated Jovanović.

According to the results of the citizen air quality monitoring, excessive air pollution caused by the presence of PM10 particles was recorded in exactly 47 out of 79 municipalities in Serbia. Data is available for 79 municipalities, covering the period from the beginning of the year until mid-November, providing an overview of air quality in municipalities that do not have automatic monitoring stations.

"In addition to the already existing measurements of suspended particles, this year we have measured the concentration of volatile organic compounds in the air at several locations. Sensors were installed in Užice in May and in Varvarin in August of this year, and they recorded high concentrations of these compounds when landfills near these municipalities were burning. The presence of these substances in the air is associated with plastic combustion and is highly harmful," explained Ognjan Pantić, Program Manager at BOS.

All information on the air quality monitoring for 2024 is available HERE.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has initiated the development of a new draft law on air protection, and a working group has been formed with representatives from state and scientific institutions and non-governmental organizations. The draft law is currently open for public review, and so far, 340 comments have been submitted by the working group, with many more expected from the public.

"A novelty brought by the draft law is that when an exceedance of substances affecting human health is detected, the relevant authority must be notified so that measures can be taken. Also, since local governments need support in implementing procedures related to the proper installation of monitoring stations, the new law plans to first request the Ministry’s opinion on the adequacy of the monitoring station's location, as only properly positioned monitoring sites can provide relevant data," said Dušica Radojičić from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia.

Measurement will need to be carried out by accredited legal entities with the necessary accreditation, and another new feature is the improved process of permit revision, which will be conducted every four years, Radojičić explained.

At the local level, Leskovac, one of the most polluted cities in Serbia, has been highlighting the lack of concrete public policies in this area for years.

"According to the official report, Leskovac is the leader in the concentration of PM particles, yet the air is classified as excellent quality. Citizens have installed 11 monitoring stations far from sources of pollution, and all of them show excessive concentrations of PM particles that are dangerous to health. We particularly emphasize that nine educational institutions in Leskovac record dangerous exceedances of carbon monoxide, with one school building exceeding the allowed values more than 20 times," said Ana Pecarski from the TIM42 organization in Leskovac.

The second panel, "Local Address to Energy Efficiency," discussed an analysis of energy efficiency conducted in Kraljevo, Leskovac, and Valjevo. It was highlighted that these cities face significant challenges in implementing energy policies. The lack of resources, as well as technical knowledge and human capacity, slow down the implementation of specific energy efficiency plans. Citizen participation in decision-making is minimal, and financial investments in energy projects are insufficient. Furthermore, municipal budgets often lack the necessary funds for large-scale energy efficiency projects.

You can view the photo gallery from the conference here.