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‘Poland has the most polluted air in the world.’ Claim by ‘ZhS Premium’ Fact-Checked
In total, the “dirty” list worldwide includes 120 megacities, with no Belarusian cities represented.
The Telegram channel ‘ZhS Premium’ published a list of megacities with the worst air quality, suggesting that Polish cities rank among the most polluted in the world. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated whether it was true.
In late September, forest fires engulfed the Gomel region, Belarus, which borders Russia and Ukraine. On September 17, the media outlet ‘Green Portal’ reported strong smoke odors and declining air quality, according to residents. Five days later, the authors of the ‘ZhS Premium’ Telegram channel released a ranking of the world’s cities with the most polluted air.
Their post reads: “TOP of the dirtiest cities on the planet. Of course, we’re talking about air pollution. It is worth noting that several Polish cities — Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Krakow — appear near the top of the list. Kyiv is also on the cut.
In total, the “dirty” list worldwide includes 120 megacities, with no Belarusian cities represented. From Russia, only Krasnoyarsk (ranks 86th) and Moscow (115th) are included.”
The ranking published by ‘ZhS Premium’ is a screenshot from the IQAir website, a free platform that provides air quality information. This ranking includes the 120 largest cities worldwide and is updated in real-time, meaning its figures change constantly. As of 11:41 AM Minsk time on September 30, 2024, there were no Polish cities at the top.
By the end of 2023, no Polish cities were among the most polluted; only cities from Asia were included on the list.
