A Car-Free Day will be held in Belarus on September 22

On September 19, Minsk / Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA /. The "Car-Free Day" campaign will be held in Belarus on September 22, BELTA was informed at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. The event is aimed at drawing public attention to the problems of air pollution in the country's cities. Despite the fact that the road transport complex is the most important sector of the economy, satisfying the needs of society and the population in transportation, it is also the largest polluter of the environment. On a national scale, the share of transport in the total emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere from all sources reaches 72%. Thanks to the measures taken in Belarus to reduce the harmful impact of transport on the environment, last year it was possible to reduce emissions of pollutants into the atmospheric air from mobile sources, which in general for the republic amounted to 942.3 thousand tons and decreased compared to the 2009 level by 194.9 thousand tons, or by 17.1%, with an increase in the fleet of motor vehicles during this period by 4.8%. In 2010, on average per day in Belarus, about 2.6 thousand tons of pollutants were emitted into the atmosphere with exhaust gases (in 2009 - about 3 thousand tons), including about 430 tons for Minsk. In 2010, 209,012 motor vehicles were imported into Belarus, including 193,710 units imported by individuals. Of the total number of imported cars, 10.2% were cars under 3 years old, 33.5% were from 3 to 7 years old, and more than 56.3% were over 7 years old. On average, when a car travels 15,000 km per year, it burns more than 2 tons of fuel and consumes about 30 tons of air. In this case, about 700 kg of carbon monoxide (CO), 400 kg of nitrogen dioxide, 230 kg of hydrocarbons and other pollutants, the total number of which is more than 200 items, are emitted into the atmosphere. Annually, about 1 million tons of pollutants are emitted into the atmospheric air with exhaust gases from mobile sources.

Despite the measures taken to reduce the harmful impact of transport on the environment, the problem of atmospheric air pollution from mobile sources remains acute. Vehicle emissions are one of the anthropogenic factors of environmental pollution. They include toxic components such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides, heavy metal compounds, and others. These substances, formed from vehicle exhaust, wear and tear of mechanical parts, tires, and road surfaces, cause harm to nature as they travel through the ecosystem. Some of these substances, such as heavy metals and certain organochlorine compounds, persistent organic pollutants, accumulate in the environment and pose a serious threat to both the environment and human health. If the current growth rate of the vehicle fleet is maintained, it is projected that by 2015, the volume of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere will increase by 10% or more. The experience of European Union countries has shown that solving this problem is impossible without public involvement. To this end, the "Car-Free Day" campaign is held in over 40 countries in Europe and other continents. In 2008, the campaign was held in Belarus for the first time. Since 2009, republican government bodies, regional executive committees, the Minsk City Executive Committee, the Belneftekhim concern, and other organizations have joined the campaign. Practically all cities in the country participate in this eco-campaign. Such campaigns in Belarus are successful, as evidenced by the improvement in air quality in cities. On September 22nd alone, annually, the emission of pollutants into the republic's atmosphere is prevented by 250 tonnes or more. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection proposes that citizens of Belarus refrain from using motor transport for at least one day and participate in the campaign. -0-

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