Energy in focus
Poland has also pledged to meet some strategic targets for NRE, claiming that by 2010, 7.5 percent of its energy will come from renewable sources, and 14 percent by 2020.
As impressive as these figures may appear to be, we need to look at reality. Poland is the third largest greenhouse gas emitter in Eastern Europe – after Russia and Ukraine – with almost 70 percent of its energy needs covered by coal. Coal constitutes over 35 percent of the energy delivered to Polish consumers (the European average is eight to nine percent). Making matters worse, the law in Poland is still a grey area, with lawmakers and politicians trying to decide what limits and policies to impose year by year to reach the 2010 and 2020 goals. But the fact is that unless they get it together, the years will creep by and it will be 2009 before you know it, and that 7.5 percent aim will be nothing but a dream going up in a puff of heavy, polluted smoke.
– Is there anything to breathe easily about?
As impressive as these figures may appear to be, we need to look at reality. Poland is the third largest greenhouse gas emitter in Eastern Europe – after Russia and Ukraine – with almost 70 percent of its energy needs covered by coal. Coal constitutes over 35 percent of the energy delivered to Polish consumers (the European average is eight to nine percent). Making matters worse, the law in Poland is still a grey area, with lawmakers and politicians trying to decide what limits and policies to impose year by year to reach the 2010 and 2020 goals. But the fact is that unless they get it together, the years will creep by and it will be 2009 before you know it, and that 7.5 percent aim will be nothing but a dream going up in a puff of heavy, polluted smoke.
– Is there anything to breathe easily about?
