Environmentalists criticize the Polish government’s declaration of abandoning coal in the 2040s. The ClientEarth Polska Lawyers for Earth Foundation estimates that Poland is putting itself in the position of a developing country, and representatives of the Climate Coalition believe, among other things, that a plan is needed to end Poland from coal by 2030.
ClientEarth recalled in Thursday’s comment that at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, 190 countries adopted the global declaration to phase out coal in the 2030s for larger economies and in the 2040s for the rest of the world. It was added that, according to the communiqué of the summit hosts, Poland was also among the signatories of the agreement.
“At first glance, it might seem that this is a breakthrough moment in Polish climate policy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The spokesman for the Ministry of Climate clarified that in the case of Poland it is to be in the 2040s, which has already been confirmed by the new minister of climate, informing that Poland will be extract hard coal by 2049 ” – pointed out Ilona Jędrasik from ClientEarth Polska Lawyers for the Earth.
In her opinion, it is absurd that an OECD country, “an organization that brings together a handful of countries with a highly developed economy, when it is necessary to make a concerted effort to reduce emissions, suddenly puts itself in the position of a developing country.” “This is a slap in the face of the countries of the global south, which contributed the least to the climate crisis and will feel it the most” – emphasized Jędrasik.