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Every year on 7th September we celebrate the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. This year's campaign slogan is "Invest in #CleanAirNow" from the English original "Invest in #CleanAirNow". It highlights the urgent need for stronger partnerships, increased investment and shared responsibility in the fight against air pollution.

In the Žilina Region, a meeting was organized for municipalities to prepare the Air Quality Improvement Program, which was prepared by the District Office in the regional headquarters together with the Slovak Environment Agency and the Žilina Self-Governing Region.

In May, the Slovak Environment Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic and other partners of the LIFE IP - Air Quality Improvement project, organized three regional workshops focused on air quality for representatives of local governments from the Košice, Žilina and Banskobystrica self-governing regions (KSK, ŽSK,BBSK).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the incidence of asthma has doubled in the last 10 years. According to WHO estimates, about 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, and by 2025 it will be 100 million more. We remember the problems of people with asthma this year on May 7 on World Asthma Day.

In connection with air quality, the Trnava Self-Governing Region (TTSK) is one of the less problematic areas, as the air quality here is not significantly affected by large local sources of pollution. At the same time, the nature itself ensures a better atmosphere compared to the rest of Slovakia.

Trees have the ability to absorb and reduce pollutants from the air. This process allows trees and other plants to absorb, capture and neutralize harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, dust particles, heavy metals and others. Certain types of trees have specific properties for ridding the air of pollutants. For example, maples, oaks, lindens, firs and spruces can effectively trap solid particles and dust, while catalpas are able to absorb nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides with their large leaves.

It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. The participants of the study trip to North Moravia in mid-October could convince themselves of the validity of the saying. During four days, mayors and officials could be inspired by innovative projects and solutions in the field of community energy, proper heating, air quality and the development of sustainable mobility.

Air pollution is the greatest environmental health risk affecting all of humanity, responsible for more than 6 million premature deaths worldwide. That is why protecting the air and ensuring healthy air is a global challenge. On September 7, we remember the importance of air quality thanks to the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

As part of our Populair project, we actively maintain relations with international partners, which was also reflected in the recently organized Trilateral Workshop in Piešťany, which took place on May 17-19, 2023. At this event, we welcomed the foreign projects HungAIRy from Hungary and Malopolska - In a healthy atmosphere from Poland, which, like us, deal with the issue of air quality.

Children and young people cannot protect themselves from air pollution – only we adults can. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, from the time they are in their mother’s womb through to adulthood. In the member and cooperating countries of the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution causes more than 1,200 deaths of people under 18 every year.