Ljubljana - Clean Cities Campaign, a European coalition of NGOs and grassroots groups aiming to encourage cities to transition to zero-emission mobility by 2030, has ranked 36 major European cities by their access to climate-friendly mobility, clean air, safe roads, environmental policies and space for people. Ljubljana ranked 28th.

Scoring a total of 45.7 points, Ljubljana ranked 28th and no city received the top score, said Focus, the Slovenian NGO participating in the campaign.

Even the highest ranking cities - Oslo, Amsterdam and Helsinki - scored only between 71 and 64 points, which shows that even cities largely promoting sustainable mobility must step up their efforts to reach zero-emission mobility by 2030.

The Slovenian capital got the lowest scores in accessibility of public transport and air quality. It also got low points for low emission zones, as it pays only little attention to restricting traffic in the city, Focus said.

It warned that Ljubljana has had a serious problem with air pollution for a while and that the municipality must introduce zero emission zones and a good parking policy to reduce emissions from traffic and improve air quality in the city.

"Ljubljana is still a city where it is possible to reach your destination by car quickly and without major problems.

"If we are to meet the climate goals and improve air quality, we need to change the mobility of our citizens and visitors and the municipality must provide sustainable alternatives. Some measures will also need support from the state," said Marjeta Benčina from Focus.

On a more positive note, a global survey examining the quality of waters and pharmaceutical pollution showed Slovenia and its Ljubljanica river that flows through the capital rank among the 14 least polluted regions among 137.

The average cumulative concentration of medicinal substances detected in the Ljubljanica was 50.7 nano-grammes per litre, which puts Slovenia on par with Iceland and New Zealand, said the Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, which participated in the Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project led by the University of York, UK.

A total of 258 rivers from all continents, including Antarctica, were included in the survey. In Slovenia, samples were taken from the Ljubljanica on nine different points.

The survey has found waters on all continents to be contaminated, with the highest pollution in the parts that have been least monitored so far such as the Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and South Asia.