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In Slovenia, air pollution data indicates high levels of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and PM10 (particulate matter). The primary contributor to this pollution is traffic.
Since 2008, air quality has improved, particularly due to decreased traffic volumes stemming from the economic crisis, leading to a reduction in traffic emissions.
Nevertheless, air quality remains a significant environmental concern, especially in urban areas. Numerous Slovenian and European cities fail to meet the outdoor air quality standards established by European legislation.
Short-term exposure to NO2 is linked to reduced lung function, especially for those allergic to natural allergens, while long-term exposure raises the risk of respiratory tract inflammation, particularly in children.
The presence of nitrogen oxides contributes to various environmental issues, including acidification, eutrophication, photochemical smog formation, and increases in tropospheric ozone levels.
Nationally, Slovenia struggles to maintain air quality within the legally prescribed boundaries, with NO2 and PM10 levels being notably higher in areas with heavy traffic.

Human activities significantly alter the climate by releasing various greenhouse gases and particulate matter through processes such as land settlement, agriculture, deforestation, overconsumption of resources, construction, production, transportation, and the burning of fossil fuels.

Major sources include:
- Pesticides
- Refineries
- Traffic
- Forest fires
- Industrial production
- Construction materials
- Chemical industries
- Metallurgy
Pollutants are categorized into:
- Primary pollutants: Directly emitted into the atmosphere (e.g., NO2, PM10).
- Secondary pollutants: Result from chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
Weather conditions (sunlight, wind, cloud cover) and topographical factors (land features and air temperature inversions) also influence air pollution levels.

Winter Smog: Characterized by heavy, low-lying fog conditions (temperature -1°C to -4°C), minimal wind (0 m/s), high humidity (around 85%), primarily occurring in the morning.
Summer Smog: Exhibits a higher and drier formation (temperature ranges from 24°C to 32°C), with wind speeds of approximately 3 m/s and humidity around 70%, typically observed in the afternoon.

Urban canyons, defined by building height (H) and street width (W), influence temperature, wind conditions, air quality, and satellite navigation signals. A larger factor indicates a smaller urban heat island (UHI) effect.
These canyons affect the balance of direct solar radiation (both soil and atmospheric), altering the overall climatic dynamics of urban areas as compared to their rural counterparts.

Climate change has initiated various observable impacts, including an increase in fires, notably affecting the Triglav Glacier in Slovenia, alongside rising water levels from glacier melting, posing risks to biodiversity and drinking water supply.
Additionally, the thinning of the ozone layer leads to increased radiation, signifying hazardous environmental changes.

Urban life quality is reduced by factors like traffic congestion, pollution from vehicles and factories, construction activities, thermal pollution, water quality deterioration, and soil degradation.
Challenges include air pollution, energy balance alterations, water quality issues leading to floods or scarcity, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity decline, and health problems among city residents.

The climate is affected by altitude, where air cools as elevation increases and warmer air ascends. The orientation toward the sun also dictates temperature variations across different slopes of a terrain.

The key components—wastewater (increased in cities), evaporation (reduced), precipitation, and rainwater infiltration—are altered in urban settings, with cities generating more wastewater and experiencing decreased evaporation and infiltration rates.

The energy balance within urban settings encompasses various energy flows including:
- Radiation
- Conduction
- Represented heat
- Latent heat
- Stored heat (e.g., within building materials)
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for analyzing environmental state and processes.

Excessive lighting disrupts natural behaviors of nocturnal creatures, impacting their feeding, reproduction, and navigation skills, which can consequently affect ecosystems.
Long-term exposure to artificial light also has detrimental impacts on human health, interfering with melatonin production vital for sleep regulation.

The natural greenhouse effect maintains Earth's average temperature at +15°C instead of a hypothetical -18°C without it, enabling life to thrive by trapping necessary heat from the atmosphere.

Key global threats include uncontrollable climate change, exhaustive resource depletion (Peak Oil), unsustainable growth patterns, various planetary boundary accelerations, and systemic failures contributing to vulnerabilities across ecological systems.