INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
covered with a noticeable smog
away, you suddenly start to sense this city's smell
warning signals weather that impedes the dispersion of pollutants into the atmosphere, such as the absence of wind and precipitation.Between
the first alert in 2012 and the end of 2023, 1 million Krasnoyarsk residents have endured 460 of these smog-filled days
treatment, and it comes and goes intermittently
laggardIn 2017, over 1,000 people took to the streets to protest the never-ending succession of darkened skies.Krasnoyarsk-born
led to the formation of our public movement because certified ecologists, so to speak, only gathered for roundtable discussions and talked,
Officials, too, only made promises."Plagued by environmental issues for decades, Krasnoyarsk frequently ranks as one of Russia's most
environmentally troubled cities
far exceeding the limits considered safe.Elsewhere in the Krasnoyarsk region, a heavily industrialized part of the country where Soviet-era
located about 150 kilometers west of the regional capital, became enveloped in gray snow, sparking a major environmental scandal across
had the worst air pollution in Russia in 2022.Between 2015 to 2019, officials recorded a spike in new cases of respiratory diseases and
malignant tumors linked to environmental factors, with Achinsk and Krasnoyarsk seeing the highest rates.The geography of Krasnoyarsk,
primarily situated in a valley surrounded by hills, traps emissions above the city, exacerbating the issue.While authorities require local
factories.After the public outcry gained momentum through rallies and legal actions, it became possible to draw attention even from Moscow,
crisis in Krasnoyarsk has sparked debates about who is primarily responsible for it and, consequently, who should lead the efforts to
improve the city's air quality.Activists argue that authorities are unfairly attributing the pollution problem to private vehicles and
the main polluters.Heating stoves in private houses burning coal and wood account for 14%, while road transport contributes just a few
percent.But the experience of an ordinary Krasnoyarsk resident who steps out of their high-rise building only to be confronted with a
multitude of fossil fuel-powered vehicles tells a different story, climate and energy expert Vladimir Chuprov told The Moscow Times.This
could have partly relieved the congestion problem, never materialized
The project's failure led to the arrest of a state official charged with embezzling funds allocated for its construction.Without viable
electric public transportation options, residents are forced to rely on buses and cars, the majority of which are powered by air-polluting
power plants and in household stoves.A view of Krasnoyarsk from above.t.me/prmira_newsUnlike other Russian cities which get most of their
power from natural gas, Krasnoyarsk opted for local coal decades ago when the city was developing due to a lack of nearby gas fields,
If we look at the overall impact, including extra sick days, the loss of health and regional gross domestic product, it turns out that the
ongoing efforts to transition private houses from coal to more environmentally friendly heating options, with 193 houses already switched to
gas heating between 2021 and 2023.Krasnoyarsk has expanded its public transit network with 25 trams, 65 trolleybuses and 11 electric buses
The city has also replaced 31 inefficient coal boiler plants, the ministry said, contributing to the reduction in pollution.In comments
Krasnoyarsk aluminum plant, such as a two-stage gas purification system and an AI tool monitoring uncontrolled emissions of
receive in return for the upgrade [of their technologies]
If before it was 'completely bad,' now it's just 'very bad'."Defending the right to clean air has grown increasingly difficult in recent
challenging the system through all available legal channels and achieving only modest results, many of those who formed the backbone of the
protest movement have chosen to relocate elsewhere in Russia in search of a better living environment."Everyone talks about their children's
family is staying outside the city until the winter pollution peak subsides and is considering the idea of leaving Krasnoyarsk once and for
