Poland plans to spend over €7bn on fighting smog

Poland plans to spend over €7bn on fighting smog
By bne IntelliNews April 13, 2018

Poland intends to spend PLN25bn-PLN30bn (€6bn-€7.2bn) in the next ten years to improve thermal insulation of houses in order to reduce the smog that cripples the country in winter months, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on April 12.

Poland’s air is among the most polluted in the European Union because millions of poorly insulated houses use coal and low quality coal-based fuels for heating. The government wants to invest in better energy efficiency of housing in Poland in order to reduce the use of polluting fuels. 

The government also plans to help finance the replacement of old inefficient heating systems in houses, push for a more comprehensive coverage of district heating networks and introduce quality norms for solid fuels used for heating.

Some of these plans have been met with opposition from Poland’s powerful coal lobby, which claims a crackdown on the fuel will hit sales and also push less well-off households into poverty if heating becomes more expensive due to tightened environmental norms.

Smog has been a political problem for the Law and Justice (PiS) government since 2016 when a cold spell led to soaring of smog levels countrywide. That raised awareness and a number of activist organisations began campaigning against the problem, creating pressure on politicians.

 

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