Total greenhouse gas emissions (without LULUCF)

The total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Poland (excluding those from the LULUCF sector) dropped by 27% between 1990 and 2023, from 476 Mt to 348 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq). It is worth noting that 1990 was the second year of the transformation from a centrally planned to a free market economy. This influenced all sectors, especially heavy industry. After a local peak in GHG emissions in 1996 due to an economic rebound, energy efficiency actions were implemented and a slow decrease was observed, with a subsequent stabilisation at the level of about 400 Mt CO₂eq. This was accompanied by steady economic growth, resulting in emission decoupling. In 2009, GHG emissions decreased, reflecting the worldwide economic slowdown. In 2016–2018, emissions increased, mainly due to economic recovery, the rising number of vehicles and an increase in fuel use. Emissions dropped in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the consequent downturn in fuel consumption and industrial production. After an increase in 2021, due to an economic rebound, there was another drop in 2022, caused by the economic disruption triggered by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The main factor was a decrease in fuel use, primarily in electricity and heat production and in households: hard coal consumption decreased by 7% in electricity and heat production and by 16% in households. In 2023, GHG emissions dropped by 8%, mainly due to reductions in the consumption of hard coal (by 14%) and lignite (by 26%). Implementing the updated national energy and climate plan should achieve a 50.4% GHG emission reduction from 1990 levels by 2030.