Urszula Zielińska, who is a member of the Green Party and Secretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, talked to journalists before the meeting of environment ministers. She spoke, among others: about Poland’s approach to the EU climate policy, as well as the Polish transformation and transition away from coal.
A discussion is approaching in Brussels on the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions for 2040. Currently, the EU has set itself the goal of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other climate-warming gases by 55%. by 2030. In the context of 2040, the target is as high as 90-95%. emission reduction – this was the recommendation of the EU scientific body for climate.
Zielińska said in Brussels that the EU “definitely should adopt ambitious goals”, including the goal of reducing emissions by 90%. She added that “we must do it in a constructive way, taking care of social aspects,” we read on the website. So far, almost none of the EU countries have expressed their support for such a goal for 2040. Moreover, Poland under the PiS government was rather a brake on the EU’s climate policy, rather than one of the leaders. That is why Zielińska’s words caused surprise, as can be seen, among others, in reports from Brussels journalists. The Politico website wrote about a “180-degree turn” compared to what was presented by the PiS government, and the Euractiv website wrote about a “green wave from Poland”.
Later, the head of the Ministry of Climate and its spokesman Hubert Różyk informed that Zielińska’s statement was not yet the official negotiating position of the Polish government. Różyk pointed out that at the moment there is no official proposal from the European Commission (it is expected at the beginning of February), so it is difficult to expect an official position on this matter. “The mandate for negotiations will be when we learn about the Commission’s proposal,” he wrote.
The 2040 target applies to the entire community, so even if it is set at 90 percent, it will not mean that Poland will have to cut emissions by exactly that amount. The contribution to achieving this goal would be divided among member countries.
When will Poland move away from coal?
Zielińska also talked about Poland moving away from coal. In 2023, it was still responsible for as much as 63%. energy production in Poland. However, it was less than a few years ago, when we had over 80% coal. current.
The deputy minister said that the ministry is currently assessing and analyzing the current energy transformation plans. She also added that Poland should accelerate plans to phase out coal and quickly announce the end date of energy production using it. Currently, there is no official date for the end of coal in the energy sector, but the so-called the previous government’s social contract with miners states that mining will end in 2049.
Source: Gazeta
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