This study delivers evidence of the main causes of premature deaths from air pollution in Almaty and Nur-Sultan, two major cities in Kazakhstan, and offers guidance on cost-effective solutions to prevent them while making the cities better prepared for a low-carbon future. The report provides...

These programs have been prepared by the Government of Bulgaria (GoB) with technical support by the World Bank. In the course of the work it became clear that national and local institutions would face multi- faceted challenges in implementing the NAQIP and NAPCP, relating mainly to overcoming...

South Asia is home to 9 of the world's 10 cities with the worst air pollution. Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in some of the region's most densely populated and poor areas are up to 20 times higher than what the World Health Organization considers healthy (5 micrograms per...

Nine out of the world's 10 cities with the worst air pollution are in South Asia. South Asians are exposed to extremely unhealthy levels of ambient air pollution, especially in densely populated, poor locations. The World Health Organization's (WHO) Air Quality Guideline recommends that...

The Air Quality Management (AQM) system in Tajikistan needs strengthening in its key policy and institutional as well as technical aspects to reduce health impacts of air pollution in the most polluted airsheds (Dushanbe and other urban centers). The World Bank's first engagement to strengthen...

The Western Balkans is home to the most polluting power plants in Europe, and its transport and energy infrastructure require updates. Not surprisingly, countries such as Kosovo, are suffering from severe urban air pollution and traffic congestion as a result of high dependence on fossil fuels...

Cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) experience high ambient concentrations of health-damaging fine particulate air pollution in Europe. This report is one in a series of three reports on air quality management in BiH, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. This report examines the nature and magnitude...

Carbon taxes can be win-win for Bangladesh. They can help show the world that Bangladesh is serious about climate mitigation, boosting the country's influence in international negotiations and helping it to access financing and technology promised during the COP-21. They can play a role in...

Many cities in Kosovo suffer from poor air quality, with ambient concentrations of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5) significantly exceeding the national and European Union (EU) standards and global air quality guidelines for PM2.5 established by the World...