While North Macedonia has launched an ambitious clean air agenda, the relationship between human mobility and air pollution remains poorly understood. This project addresses that gap by improving stakeholders' grasp of the complex links between mobility, air pollution and clean energy over a period of 18 months.
Working within the framework of the European Green Deal's Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, the project integrates the human-mobility lens into national clean air initiatives and produces evidence on how air pollution affects different migratory groups — including women migrants and women who remain in the country.
The Municipality of Tetova — among the most polluted cities in North Macedonia and Europe — serves as the project's case study. Nine professional air quality sensors are deployed across the city to continuously measure pollutant concentrations, temperature and other weather parameters, generating year-round data to inform national policy.
Overall, the initiative aims to raise awareness, drive policy integration and deepen understanding of the interconnections between human mobility, air pollution and clean energy in North Macedonia.
Project Objectives
- Produce a report exploring policy options to mitigate air-pollution effects on mobile populations in urban and peri-urban areas.
- Map and assess how major North Macedonian policies and strategies align with the UNFCCC's human-mobility work programme.
- Develop a gender-sensitive guidance note that embeds the human-mobility perspective into the country's air-pollution reduction programme.
- Run a Tetovo case study on the impact of air pollution on migratory population groups, including women migrants and women remaining in the area.
Publications & Press
Universities set sights on future research to tackle North Macedonia's air quality crisis
William Avis, Veli Kreci
Partnership, participation and political action: Improving air quality in North Macedonia
William Avis, Francis Pope, Lejla Ademi Shaqiri
North Macedonia's air pollution tipping point: Coalitions for change and windows of opportunity
William Avis, Mennan Selimi, Francis Pope, Vanja Lazaridis
Vulnerabilities to air pollution in North Macedonia (K4D Report, 2022)
Rupert Avis
Causes and Consequences of Air Pollution in North Macedonia (K4D Report, 2022)
Rupert Avis