Emissions rise from the Wroclaw power plant in Krakow.
Photographer: Bartek Sadowski/BloombergPolitics
Drones Target Polluters in One of Europe’s Smoggiest Places
Krakow was one of the most choked-up urban areas on the continent. The Polish city has become ruthless in its fight for clean air.
Marek Witkowski’s patrol car comes to a halt in a cloud of dust. Within minutes, he’s powered up his four-rotor drone and sent it into battle against the scourge of his country.
The Krakow officer is on the front line of a clean-air revolution in one of the most polluted cities in the most polluted country in the European Union. The cameras check chimneys from above for signs that household furnaces are illegally burning coal or trash.