Climate and Energy policies in Poland

GHG emissions in Poland decreased strongly by 37% in the period 1990-2002, but after 2002 emissions grew by 3% until 2015. Poland has a growth target of 14% for the 2005-2020 period under the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD), and it is on track to reach this target because the actual emission increase is lower than expected in the ESD target.

Comparative indicators such as emission intensity indicate that Poland performs worse than most other Eastern European countries and average EU-28 Member States in terms of emission reductions and decarbonisation in the energy sector which is due to its strong reliance on coal.

Recent decisions and revised legislation in 2017 in the energy sector will lead to an increased role of coal in energy supply compared to past plans and a much slower expansion of renewable energies than in recent years, in particular for wind power.

Polish plans in the energy sector will not contribute to significant further emission reductions in the future. As Poland is the fifth largest EU emitter, this may slow down overall EU progress in emission reductions.

ESO: Background information: Polish president says won't ratify Kyoto carbon-cutting pact, October 2015 http://www.europeansources.info/record/polish-president-says-wont-ratify-kyoto-carbon-cutting-pact/

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