Post by European Climate Foundation

In 2012, Kraków faced one of Europe’s worst urban air‑quality crises. Behind the choking smog were more than 30,000 coal‑fired household stoves, responsible for the vast majority of local particulate pollution and an estimated 95% of carcinogenic emissions, calculated at levels ten times above EU safety thresholds. Today, the air quality in Kraków is a different story. What changed? With long‑term support from ECF and funders like the Clean Air Fund, Kraków Smog Alert helped drive:  ✅ A citywide coal ban ✅ Removal of ~30,000 dirty stoves ✅ Durable local and regional air‑quality laws How did they do it? Residents marched, protested, and demanded their fundamental right to breathe clean air. Doctors, scientists, artists, and journalists joined forces, reframing smog from an environmental nuisance into a public health emergency. In 2015 the Polish Smog Alert (PSA) was created: an umbrella NGO for around 70 local clean air groups that advocates for national regulations and programmes. Additionally, the European Climate Foundation (ECF) played a critical role by consistently supporting both KSA and PAS over more than a decade. The impact is real. New research suggests these changes in Kraków have already saved around 6,000 lives. This wasn’t just a local win. This has become a model for citizen‑led climate and health action, now inspiring work across Poland and Central & Eastern Europe. See the full story here. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eAEnErTv