About two thirds of the Chisinau residents breathe air with high concentrations of noxious substances. The levels of air pollution in Chisinau increased significantly as the air is polluted with exhaust fumes, Vladimir Garaba, the head of the Chisinau local office of the Ecologist Movement of Moldova, told a news conference on Friday. “Such a situation is due to the large number of cars traveling through the city. There is insufficient parking space. The streets are crowded and full of traffic. The quality of the fuels used by the cars is poor. The buses are old, the streets are in a bad condition, while the green spaces are continuously reduced,” Vladimir Garaba said. He also said that there are no measures stimulating the replacement of the old cars with new ones. The air quality monitoring system is outdated and enables to assess pollution levels only in comparison with the previous period, without analyzing the present situation. According to the conference organizers, the Ecologist Movement submitted proposals for remedying the environmental situation to the Government and the Chisinau City Hall, but they were rejected as the implementation of such measures implies large investments. Vladimir Garaba said that the Moldova does not adequately fulfill the commitments under international treaties concerning the protection of the air in cities. Moldova is the only country in Europe that has not yet approved standards on exhaust emissions and fuel consumption, Garaba said.