Poland By Aleskandra Arcipowska (Polish Ecological Club,
Mazovia Branch, Poland)
Basic information
|
|
Base-year emissions Mt CO2 |
2007 emissions Mt CO2 |
Change 2006– 2007 % |
Change 2007/base year % |
Kyoto target % |
|
Poland |
459.5 |
398.9 |
-0.1 |
–29.2 |
–6.0 |
|
EU-15 |
4232.9 |
4052.0 |
–1.6 |
–5.0 |
–8.0 |
|
EU-27 |
5564.0 |
5045.1 |
–1.2 |
–9.3 |
No target |
|
|
2007 GDP Growth % |
2008 GDP Growth % |
2009 GDP Growth (est.) % |
Gross Inland Energy
Consumption Change Feb.2009/
Feb.2008 % |
|
Poland |
6,6 |
5,0 |
-1,4 |
-6,3 |
Source: EEA Report No. 5/2007
In 1992 Poland signed the United Nations Frame Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and then went on to sign the Kyoto Protocol in
1997. According to the Kyoto Protocol, Poland is obliged to
reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2008–2012 by 6% in relation to
the base year, 1988. During the period from 1988 to 2005, Poland reduced its
emissions by 32%, mostly due to economical changes related to a political
transformation from central planning to market economy[1].
The costs of those changes
were significant, with a 20% decrease of employment, for example. In 2005, more
than 73% of total GHG emissions in Poland were generated by the energy sector
(excluding transport). Hard coal plays a very important role in the Polish
energy mix, resulting in high emissions and CO2 intensity. The share
of solid fuels in electricity generation (97% in 2005) is the highest among the
EU Member States. The primary energy supply from coal is also high (58% in
2005)[2].
The greenhouse-gas
emissions of the energy sector decline year by year, as a result of
energy-efficiency policies and measures implemented. In the future, a slight
increase is expected, stemming from the forecasted economic growth rate. For
the transport sector, emissions are also declining continuously. In the period
from 2007 to 2013, more than 100 billion EUR from the EU funds is to be spent
for new investments in Poland. Some 63% of those funds are expected to be
channeled into road-based transportation projects.
Source: EEA Report No. 5/2007
Since 2003, Poland has had its Climate
Policy act, with the goal of 40% GHG reduction by 2020, compared to 1988. Does the predicted increase of
GHG emissions in the period from 2007 to 2013[3]
undermine this ambitious climate goal? Several factors may affect results; for
instance,
·
Since 1990, the energy intensity of Poland’s GDP has
decreased by ca. 30%. The energy intensity remains twice as low as the EU's
average for that same period[4];
·
The respective efficiencies of power plants in Poland
and in the EU-15 amount to 36.5% and 46.5%;
·
Thermal insulation of residential buildings in Poland
amounts to 150-350 kWh per sq m per year, as compared to
40-90 kWh per sq m per year in the EU-15;
·
Only 20% of the heating systems in Poland are
pre-insulated, etc.
Public attitude towards Climate Change (CC)
Society
According
to the official data, increased intensity of the extreme weather incidents in
Poland is a fact. In 1991 there was only one case of a heavy gale, while in
2006 the number increased to 52 [5].
Apart from a lot of other negative factors, tourism suffers from a lack of
snowy winters, while agriculture is harmed by floods and droughts. Despite all
of those facts, the general public's interest in climate issues is very low.
There is a general awareness that the climate change is a fact, but there is
still a disagreement on the human responsibility for this process and a general
doubt prevails in the public and media debates on any other related topics.
There has been almost no news about major
scientific and economical reports such as the IPCC 4AR or Stern reports.
Moreover, in Poland, the existing and potential consequences of climate change
are considered a non-issue for the neighboring vicinity. They are rather
perceived as a “problem of other regions whom we cannot help to any larger
extent”. Also, it is a common misunderstanding of the problem to translate and
consider the climate change process as, e.g., delivering more advantageous
conditions for tourism at the Baltic seaside. As far as the energy is
concerned, the understanding of EU energy and climate policies is poor. GHG
emission reduction is seen mostly as a cause of higher energy costs for households and national
industry sectors.
Strong
scientific bodies dealing with the climate-change issues in Poland are almost
non-existent. The Polish NGO movement has a good understanding of the problem
and seems to have one of the most important roles in providing relevant
information and education. NGOs, through their activities and co-operation with
the media, provide and disseminate crucial analyses of current issues related
to the climate change as well as reports of its confirmed and possible
consequences. In 2008, the
Institute for Sustainable Development (InE) issued a report on the
environmental awareness of the general public in Poland. Contrary to the
previous study from 2004[6],
the public’s opinion as to the nature of the country’s leading environmental
problem changed from „ozone layer depletion“ to „climate change“. It seems to be
an effect of the increasing media interest in climate issues. The important
role of RES within the energy system was indicated by ca. 50% of respondents,
while 23% mentioned energy efficiency. Nuclear power was supported by 30% of
the respondents.
NGO activity
An alliance
of Polish NGOs for climate protection, the Climate Coalition[7], was established in 2002. There were 10
founding members, mainly environmental, involved in the advocacy activities for
global climate protection. In 2003, the Coalition took part in the public
consultation on the Climate Policy for Poland, which was successfully finalised
with the inclusion of ambitious goals into the Policy. For many years, Polish
NGOs have taken part actively in consultations about most of the crucial
climate and energy policies. They have been preparing opinions and position
papers, attending various Parliamentary Commissions' sessions.
There are several NGOs working
consistently on the climate-protection-related projects at various levels
(education, lobby, mass actions)[8].
NGOs are also involved to a large extent in the public discourse on the future
of the energy sector. NGOs' experts are often invited to the efforts of
governmental expertise such as consideration of the potential of RES use in
Poland, the concept of the white certificate of energy efficiency for Poland,
and many others. Despite these efforts, NGOs’ input is not always considered
seriously or taken into account in the political dialogue. At the end of 2007,
the Polish Climate Coalition launched a large campaign aiming at promoting
better understanding of the UNFCCC negotiation process and preparations for the
COP in Poznan as well as for the COP in Copenhagen. The project is targeted at
the general public, decision-makers, business sector, media people, NGOs and
the Climate Coalition itself.
The fact that in 2008 Poland held
the UN Climate Conference (COP 14) attracts the general public's attention and
causes NGOs (and not only NGOs) to get interested in climate change issues. At
this time, there are several more new organizations which are focused on the
climate question.
Media
There is a media debate on the human
responsibility aspect of the process. The natural disasters like floods and
gales are linked to the fact of climate change; yet, the topic is still not
correctly and adequately understood. It is suspected it is not “sexy” enough
for the media. The media in Poland seem to be interested more in the European
Climate and Energy Policy rather than in global problems such as the climate
change. The concepts of allocation of GHG-emission permits for the emissions
trading scheme (ETS) (in the past) and of auctioning and its allegedly damaging
impact on the national economy seem currently to be very hot media topics.
There is a lack of interest in issues like the future post-Kyoto agreement,
burden-sharing, etc. Major high-level meetings like the COPs and events such as
the publication of the 4AR IPCC report are brought to the media's attention
mostly by NGOs.
Politics
Prior to the Parliamentary elections
in 2007, there had been no word on climate protection mentioned in the
programmes of the most influential political parties[9].
The situation has not changed so far. Within the Polish government, it is only
the Ministry of Environment which is factually aware of global warming and
involved in the activities conceived to counteract it as well as to mitigate
its impact. From the general perspective, the Polish Government is primarily
interested in fast and intensive economic growth. Any direct or indirect climate-change
counter-measures are widely criticised as hindrances to the divine 'growth'.
There is little understanding that the GDP growth can be achieved without a
dramatic increase in the GHG emissions.
Poland has agreed to the European Climate and Energy Package goals
(3x20%), even though ways to achieve them are still disputed and viewed as difficult
to follow at some points. The most controversial idea of the agreement is the
auctioning of 100% of the CO2 emission credits through the ETS,
which is expected to be in place in 2013. It is seen both by the government and
in public opinion as a serious threat to the national economy and as an even more serious threat to a lot of the
industry stakeholders and other businesses in Poland[10].
The NGOs are not that skeptical of the auctioning idea, viewing it as a
challenge for Poland, highlighting at the same time the opportunities for the
economy[11],
potential for boosting innovations, expanding RES and improving the overall
energy efficiency. As far as the agreement on post-2012 targets is concerned,
there is still a discussion going on, and there is no official position
available. As is mentioned above, the government is expecting an increase in
GHG emissions in the next several years to come. The NGOs' Climate Coalition
lobbies to keep the Polish Climate Policy goal of 40% GHG emissions reduction
target by 2020. It must also be noted that Poland did not officially support the Hungarian
Proposal. As for the national energy policy, a new policy act is currently being
drafted[12]
by the Ministry of Economy. Apart from the priorities assigned to energy
efficiency and increase of renewable energy use, the draft envisages also
construction and operation of a nuclear power plant in Poland in the future as
a tool for GHG-emission reduction.
Poland as a host country of COP14
For the general public it was far
more important to have Poland as a host country for the EURO 2012 Football
Championships[13]
than for the COP14 in 2008. This opinion was unfortunately shared by many
politicians, media people, etc., even though Poland is being led by the
Ministry of Environment, and actively supported by NGOs and the business
sector, who prepared the meeting in Poznan. Of two working groups established
within the Ministry of Environment, one was focusing on the UNFCCC
negotiations, the other on the event's logistics and promotion[14].
Additionally, a new position of the Embassy for Climate was set up in
2008. Under the initiative of the Polish Ministry of Environment, the informal
meeting before COP (so-called pre-COP) took place in October, in Warsaw. Also a
Partnership for Climate was held by the Ministry of Environment, to involve a
media campaign and several events before and during the COP14.
More information:
http://www.cop14.info/index.php?lang=EN
http://www.koalicjaklimatyczna.org/index_en.htm
National Inventory Report (in English): http://emissions.ios.edu.pl/kcie/Download/InventorySubmission2008/NIR_2006_PL_Eng_ver.pdf