BRUSSELS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Activists vented their frustrations on Thursday by covering the front walls of the building belonging to the Brussels Environment Ministry with posters of black lungs, the environmental group Greenpeace confirmed on Twitter.
The activists took advantage of Mobility Week to challenge Celine Fremault, Brussels Regional Minister for the Environment, Energy and Housing, on the persistent problem of air pollution in the Belgian capital.
The exact number of black lungs, 632, was chosen symbolically in reference to the number of people who die prematurely each year in the Belgian capital as a result of air pollution.
"When hundreds of Brussels residents die every year, fighting against air pollution necessarily becomes a priority," said Leen, a Brussels-based Greenpeace activist, in a statement reported by Belgian newspaper La DH.
A fellow activist, Veronique, who also participated in the awareness campaign, lent the view that people's health, and especially that of children, is seriously endangered by the government's current policy.
The luxury of driving in a polluting vehicle must take the second place behind the importance of breathing healthy air, Veronique said.
To improve air quality in Brussels, Greenpeace was highlighting several solutions, including the need to create car-free zones and to invest in cycling and pedestrian infrastructures, as well as a coherent plan to establish a principle of "polluter pays".
