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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Seeing is believing, and for Maria Kolesnikova, this year’s Entrepreneurial Vision Earth Champion, one painting was worth starting a movement.
In 2016, Kolesnikova, then a 28-year-old public relations professional, was volunteering with MoveGreen, a youth-led environmental organization in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Then someone showed Kolesnikova a photo of Bishkek from the mountains surrounding Kyrgyzstan’s capital. “You were the only one who couldn’t see the city,” she said. “Bishkek was just covered in this gray blanket. We didn’t know what to call it. All we knew was that it was really bad. Ta.”
Bishkek, home to about 1 million people, has one of the most polluted cities in the world. During the winter, cities are often trapped under a dome of smog, resulting from both the natural environment and the smoke from the coal used to heat most homes. .
“We wanted to better understand what’s in the air we breathe and what data the city is collecting to improve the situation. ” Kolesnikova said. “But we couldn’t find any relevant actual data. It wasn’t being collected or shared. So we decided to create it ourselves.”
MoveGreen started with just three sensors to measure air quality. This meant, for the first time in the Kyrgyz Republic, monitoring the levels of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) produced by the burning, combustion and dust of coal and other fuels. At high enough concentrations, it can cause lung inflammation and other respiratory illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills up to 7 million people each year.
When the first measurements returned, Kolesnikova and the MoveGreen team made a bold decision. Launching a campaign called “School Breathes Easy,” they took their message to those who were ready to listen: Bishkek’s schoolchildren. Globally, 93% of children live in environments where air pollution levels exceed WHO guidelines. Approximately 600,000 people die prematurely each year due to air pollution, and exposure to polluted air can impair cognitive and motor development and increase children’s risk of developing chronic diseases later in life. there is.
In Bishkek, schools have been installed with sensors that measure air quality so that classrooms can keep their windows closed in case of high air pollution. Educators also used this data to warn parents about exposing their children to fine particles. There are currently more than 100 sensors installed in cities and regions.
The success of the school-based campaign encouraged Kolesnikova, who by this time had been promoted to director of MoveGreen. Collecting data wasn’t enough. A campaign was needed to persuade decision makers to improve Bishkek’s air quality.
MoveGreen has developed an app called AQ.kg that collects and transmits actionable data on air quality in real time and is now available worldwide. This application aggregates data every 20 minutes on the concentration of pollutants in the air, including fine particulate PM2.5 and its larger cousin PM10, from his two largest cities in Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek and Osh. Masu.
“Our data and methods have been questioned by people who say that citizen surveillance data cannot be trusted,” Kolesnikova said. “But we kept meeting and came back again and again, and now they are listening. The results of our work are working with the government to improve environmental monitoring in Bishkek. and were able to better monitor and reduce emissions.”
“Mr. Kolesnikova’s work reflects how individuals and citizens can harness the power of science and data to drive environmental change,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. “People often wonder if something can be done to combat pollution, climate change, and other threats to the planet. Maria Kolesnikova has proven that it exists. Her dedication is astonishing. It shows that we can all play a role in putting our planet on the path to a better future.”
MoveGreen’s plans for the coming months include calling for policy at the local and national level to develop legislation that would require regular public briefings on the results of air quality measurements. The Kyrgyz Republic is committed to addressing global goals to combat climate change, including the unconditional goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 16 percent by 2025.
There are tremendous opportunities for alternative energy sources. Only 10 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s hydropower potential has been developed, and other renewable energy options may include wind, solar, and biogas to boost heating and electricity supply there is. There are tremendous opportunities for alternative energy sources. Only 10 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s hydropower potential has been developed, and other renewable energy options include solar, wind, and bio-fuels, which are often produced from agricultural waste. This could include boosting gas heating and electricity supply.
According to Kolesnikova, more investment in science in Kyrgyzstan would allow the country to devise its own solutions and build an environmentally friendly society that exists in harmony with its surrounding nature, including her beloved mountains. You can do it.
Air pollution knows no borders, so Kolesnikova and Movegreen have regional agreements with other Central Asian countries. Her goal is to persuade the region’s six states to work together on ways to tackle air pollution in growing cities. It is important to have systems and standards in place to assess air quality. A recent study by UNEP found that only 57 countries continuously monitor air quality, and 104 countries do not have monitoring infrastructure in place.
Kolesnikova says she is driven by a desire to make the world a better place.
“As activists, we often get demotivated. We work hard, but we don’t see the fruits of our labor, and we end up feeling like we don’t want to continue. But then we realize that that’s not the case. I realize that someone has to take responsibility for the future. Why not me?”
UN Environment’s Champions of the Earth and Young Champions of the Earth recognize individuals, groups and organizations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment. The annual Champions of the Earth award is the United Nations’ highest environmental honor. — United Nations News
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