Can dirty air become a cause of migration?
In Bulgaria, air pollution is perceived as a serious problem, especially in big cities such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Pernik, Ruse and Stara Zagora. The main pollutants are fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), which comes from domestic heating with coal and wood, car traffic and industry. When air pollution reaches critical levels and threatens human health it can be a cause (and a major one) of migration. This phenomenon is called “ecological migration” and has long been observed in different parts of the world, and now also in Bulgaria. More and more Bulgarian families are looking for housing on the outskirts of big cities or moving to smaller settlements with cleaner air (internal migration). Other Bulgarians, especially young families with children, are choosing to emigrate to cleaner countries such as Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and Canada, where air problems are less serious (emigration/leaving the country).
