'Burn everything': Poland chokes on the smog of war
STORY: In search of cleaner country air a Polish family swapped the busy city streets of Krakow for this - the village of Olpiny, nestled in the Carpathian foothills.
The Tkacuks family made the leap back in 2018.
But now, with the war in Ukraine and the cutting off of Russian gas supplies, Julia Tkaczuk's quest to bring her three children up in a less polluted environment is proving harder than thought.
Local authorities have postponed a ban on the dirtiest stoves for heating, and last month air pollution in the village exceeded the norms by fourfold.
"There was just such a hope that the law would come in, then it would be an incentive. For the sake of decency, first those who can change their furnaces would do so, and then others would follow."
Poland has been one of the most polluted countries in Europe for years.
On the night of November 20, when temperatures in the Poland's second biggest city Krakow dropped below zero,
the only city in the world with worse air quality was New Delhi,
according to Airly - an organization that monitors pollution.
Poland's government has tried to clamp down on the burning of dirty fuels in homes.
But those efforts were hampered when in April Russian gas was cut off over a payment dispute.
With energy costs subsequently soaring, the ruling Law and Justice party dropped a two year ban on residents burning lignite and poor quality coal.
It also loosened restrictions on selling coal waste.
The government says the measures should be temporary - and their impact on air quality will be evaluated after the winter.
But the effects of the policy U-turn are already being felt, doctors say, at this hospital near the Czech border, where there has been an increase in respiratory problems.
Child admissions soared in November as temperatures fell, according to the paediatric ward's chief Katarzyna Musiol.
"Many studies show that children staying in a polluted environment have problems with attention, concentration, cognition and memory. Why? Because this area of the brain is affected by polluted air. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for these processes, is damaged. These children have impairments with these activities."
Back in the municipality where the Tkaczuks live, 40% of households are still using outdated furnaces.
One academic estimates that the suspension of the ban on their use will result in up to 1,500 premature deaths in the Malopolska province.
For Julia, whose 5-year old son has asthma, it's a serious worry.
She, like so many others, faces the struggle of keeping her family safe and warm this winter.
相關影片推薦
- 2:16美軍首次AI駕駛F-16戰機 空軍部長親自體驗 擬創千架無人機隊「自行決定」發射武器Yahoo奇摩(國際通)32,831 次觀看・19 小時前
- 9:12習近平歐洲行 蔡正元揭北約秘書長「美國式謊言」!【風向龍鳳配】風向龍鳳配55,737 次觀看・20 小時前
- 2:0250元硬幣怎分辨真假? 專家教你分辨真偽民視影音25,149 次觀看・1 天前
- 2:13社區水塔逾20年沒洗"大腸桿菌超標500倍" 多住戶腹瀉民視影音4,598 次觀看・16 小時前
- 2:49帥老闆控女客跟騷4年 發「不自殺聲明」求助警華視影音202,849 次觀看・22 小時前
- 1:28遊覽車上高歌突然昏厥 6旬男OHCA被救回TVBS新聞網影音7,755 次觀看・20 小時前
- 1:14Energy簽唱會「簽到3點」嫂子團來力挺!謝京穎為書偉獻第一次錯愕:沒認出我娛樂星聞6,980 次觀看・19 小時前
- 2:04捷克「開放式監獄」成功降低再犯率 受刑人照顧花園、養小動物 準備回歸社會Yahoo奇摩(國際通)58,993 次觀看・18 小時前
- 2:08以色列半島電視台遭下令關閉 被指責「為哈瑪斯喉舌」頻道變黑畫面 直擊警方突襲辦公室查緝設備Yahoo奇摩(國際通)58,645 次觀看・19 小時前
- 1:52洗水塔全台價格曝! 每座收費1500元-8000元華視影音1,344 次觀看・15 小時前
熱門必看
- 12:49你是外向E人還是內向I人?水瓶座竟跌破大家眼鏡是I人無誤!?Ep.216-2唐綺陽談星室39,435 次觀看・1 週前
- 8:36上完課、開完會還是有聽沒有懂? 8分鐘學會用AI幫你統整重點!Yahoo創作摩人42,158 次觀看・1 週前
- 9:50【四驅車製作】#77 新三角箭ZMC 混碳版再次製作~ 等了四年啊!!! 爆走兄弟Let's & Go!! 四驅兄弟 ミニ四駆 NEO-TRIDAGGER ZMC 《曼仕德》雷達之星290 次觀看・1 週前
- 0:07台北馬來西亞餐廳推薦|#肉骨潘三八旅客,旅遊美食226 次觀看・1 週前
- 14:47全台唯一自動炒菜機烹飪的麻辣燙?! 多到蓋不起來的炸雞便當!超浮誇蛤蜊麵!桃園中壢|你不能錯過的高評價美食!我是馬鈴薯小姐雁靈31,121 次觀看・1 週前