Green transformation: a Polish perspective

Poland is sometimes characterised as the black sheep of EU
climate policy: in 2019, more than 70 percent of the country’s
electricity was generated by coal. In the meantime, it is closing
down coal mines and discussing building a nuclear power plant in
order to diversify its energy supplies. What is Poland’s climate
policy and how is it evolving? Is the idea of Poland’s
characterisation as a scapegoat of the failure of international
climate ambitions misleading?



In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Bruegel's Guntram
Wolff and Georg Zachmann are joined by Michał Kurtyka, the
Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland and former
President of the COP24 in Katowice, considered by many as a
climate champion in the country. They discuss current climate
policy in Poland, the social impact of decarbonisation, how the
EU’s recovery package can help smooth the climate transition, and
the future of international climate diplomacy.



Research mentioned:


Bergamini, E. and G. Zachmann (2020) ‘Understanding the European
Union’s regional potential in low-carbon technologies’, Working
Paper 07/2020, Bruegel


Wolff, G. (2020) ‘Europe should promote a Climate Club after the
US elections’