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Description
A report by the European Environment Agency (2019) shows that the number of fatalities due to polluted air in Poland is one of the highest in Europe. The sources of air pollution in Poland are mainly municipal and household emissions as well as transport (the Supreme Audit Office’s Report, no. P/19/031). The analysis carried out for the purposes of updating the Bydgoszcz Environmental Protection Programme regarding air protection revealed high air pollution caused by burning solid fuels in cookers, a significant share of communal housing resources in low emissions, and a small number of liquidated old heating devices in relation to the inventoried ones. An opportunity to improve air quality is the implementation of educational programmes and further subsidies for the replacement of cookers. However, it is necessary to intensify actions. The project aims to engage citizens of the City of Bydgoszcz in grassroots anti-smog activities. The main target group of the project are adult inhabitants, especially in those areas of the city where air quality is the lowest. Five Neighbourhood Anti-Smog Groups will be established to carry out participatory and educational actions aimed at reducing low emissions. The Urban Anti-Smog Team evaluates the undertakings of the City of Bydgoszcz and the Neighbourhood Anti-Smog Groups and complements the city''s catalogue of measures to improve air quality. Expansion of the network of low-cost sensors improves access to information about air pollution. All project activities, including the information and education campaign, are based on a comprehensive diagnosis. The impact of the project is strengthened by activities directed to activists and representatives of local governments at the regional level. The project is implemented by the Laboratory of Sustainable Development with the Bydgoszcz Smog Alarm and the City of Bydgoszcz.