Warsaw shortlisted for European Green Capital 2018

The European Commission approved the Polish capital as a candidate on Tuesday, alongside six other cities, including Estonia’s Tallinn, Sweden’s Umea, and Romania’s Arad.

The competition, aimed at cities with a population above 200,000, evaluates candidates against criteria such as green urban areas, waste water treatment, low-emission transport and air quality.

“In recent years, we have been putting a lot of effort into ensuring that Warsaw is a clean, environmentally-friendly city fit to live in for all our citizens,” says Warsaw deputy mayor Michał Olszewski.

The title “would be an honour for us and would confirm that our work is headed in the right direction,” Olszewski added.

Warsaw boasts extensive green areas, covering 40 percent of the entire city. Forests take up 8,100 hectares, accounting for 15 percent of space within the city boundaries.

Also, natural areas along the right bank of the Vistula river, unique to Warsaw, are protected under the EU’s Nature 2000 programme.

However, Warsaw has been struggling with high air pollution for years, with Poland ranked the dirtiest country in Europe, alongside Bulgaria.

(ab/pk)

Source: Wawalove