Low quality of air in urban areas is one of the main issues of concern of environmentalists throughout the world. Georgia is not an exception. In the 80-ies such cities of Georgia as Tbilisi, Rustavi, Kutaisi, Batumi and Zestafoni were included in the list of most polluted cities of the Soviet Union. At that time the main polluters of air were transport and the large industrial enterprises. In 1990-1992 due to the industrial breakdown and paralysis of transport the quality of air temporarily improved. But in 1993 along with the recovery of transport the quality of air in big cities started to deteriorate again. Since 1996 industry started to rehabilitate as well, though the entire recovery of former industry giants not seems to be realistic.
Transport and industry are the main fields that impact Georgia’s environment. The expansion of
environmental policies and their execution varied widely within these sectors during the past decade. But the leadership of the transport sector, as a main air polluter has stayed unchanged.