ANTHROPOGENIC PRESSURES ON AIR QUALITY IN THE SKOPJE AGGLOMERATION

Abstract

Air pollution in the Skopje agglomeration represents a decades-long, complex problem, which requires a profound approach. The expansion of the urban space, which has been especially intensified in the last decade, as well as other socio-economic factors in the capital, have led to an additional serious threat to the health of the population through air pollution. This paper aims to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of the Skopje agglomeration, which exert a great pressure on the environment, and are reflected with the greatest consequences on the air quality in the agglomeration. The location for the research was determined due to the fact that the largest population of residents from the Republic of North Macedonia is concentrated in the Skopje agglomeration and it has high concentrations of air pollutants from all types of pollution sources and pollutants, where the concentration of the population and industrial facilities cause a threat to the quality of the basic components of the environment.