Poland aims to reduce coal to 11% of energy mix by 2040, declares president at climate summit

President Andrzej Duda has outlined Poland’s aim to reduce coal to just 11% of its energy mix – down from 70% today – by 2040, during a speech at the global climate summit organised by his US counterpart Joe Biden.

However, while pledging his country’s commitment to reducing emissions, Duda repeated the Polish government’s regular calls for a “just transition” towards climate neutrality – meaning support to help more coal-reliant countries and regions adapt.

“We will not change reality by mere political declarations,” said the Polish president. “Therefore, in Poland in the next two decades we intend to build a new, zero-emission energy system, thanks to which the share of coal will decrease from the current 70% to even 11% in 2040.”

“That is why Poland will build a sustainable and low-emission energy mix based on nuclear and renewable energy, as well as gas,” continued Duda. “Without the use of all technologies, it will simply not be possible to transform our energy system.”

Polish climate journalist Wojciech Kość noted that the 11% target is at the lower end of the government’s current energy strategy. He also questioned how an energy system that still includes coal and gas could be “zero emission”.

Duda also declared that “Poland plays a very active role in global climate policy”. He pointed to how it has exceeded the emissions reduction targets set in the Kyoto Protocol and hosted the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference (COP24), at which the “Katowice Rulebook” for implementing the Paris Agreement was agreed.

“The dynamics set by Poland during COP24 contributed to the fact that the EU adopted the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and increased its emission reduction target by 2030 to at least 55%,” said Duda. “Poland participates in these ambitious aspirations. We are also pleased that many countries have followed suit.”

In 2019, the EU set a target of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. However, Poland is the only member state that has not yet signed up to it, with its government arguing that greater financial support is needed to support the transition away from coal.

“It is clear to us that we must implement an ambitious climate policy based on the principles of a just transition and taking into account the realities of our countries and the good of our societies,” said Duda.

“This is a challenge, especially where there is a need for profound economic changes, including the possible liquidation of industries, such as coal,” he continued. “These are very serious challenges for countries such as Poland and Bulgaria.”

The Polish president then hailed an agreement reached between the mining sector and the government for “the exclusion of coal from electricity production by 2049”. This shows Poland’s “ambitious plan for the future”, given how reliant it currently is on coal, said Duda.

“I would like to emphasise that we all recognise the climate goals set within the EU and we all have the ambition to meet them,” assured the president. “It is not only a response to the arrangements within the EU, but above all a response to the expectations of the young generation of Poles.”

As in many other countries, Polish youth organised regular, large-scale climate strikes in Warsaw and other cities before the pandemic. A poll in 2019 found that, among Poles aged under 40, the climate crisis was regarded as the greatest threat to Poland among women and second greatest among men.

“Let us not return to the old path of development” after the pandemic, said Duda. “Let us build synergies between the conventions on climate, biodiversity and combating desertification. Let us take the opportunity to rebuild a better, fairer, more sustainable world.”

The president also noted that Poland has become a leader in the sustainable transport sector. It is the EU’s largest exporter of electric buses and largest producer of lithium-ion batteries. This month it was announced that Poland will host the EU’s first facility for recycling used electric car batteries.

“Our ambitions also apply to individual transport and moving away from internal combustion engines,” said Duda. The Polish government has set out an ambitious plan to increase the number of electric cars on Polish roads, though it has so far fallen far short of targets.

President Biden launched his climate summit yesterday with a pledge to cut US emissions 50% by 2030. A number of other countries, including Canada, Brazil and Japan, have also made more ambitious commitments to curb emissions. However, China and India, the world’s first and third largest emitters, have made no new pledges.

Main image credit: Jakub Szymczyk/KPRP/Prezydent.pl

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.