Air pollution - National Responses (Poland)

To protect human health and plants in Poland, a series of instruments to reduce air emissions have been developed to help achieve good air quality. The most important ones are: permits for introducing gas and particulates into the atmosphere, integrated permits, emission standards for installations and fuel quality standards. There has also been a gradual increase in the share of energy from renewable sources in overall energy production, while the energy-intensiveness of the Polish economy has been reduced.

Current investment in a new transport infrastructure (e.g. the construction of high-speed road and rail links), partly financed by the European structural and cohesion funds, should also contribute significantly to improving air quality.

Another important element in reducing emissions is the gradual increase in the number of cars and goods vehicles which meet the EURO standards.

Implementing the tasks defined in air protection programmes is also of great importance at regional and local level. Since 2008, drafting and implementing air protection programmes has been the job of local authorities at voivodeship (regional) level, which should lead to the ongoing and systematic improvement of air quality as a result of the action taken to implement regional sustainable development policies.

Sources of information

Report on air quality in Poland http://www.gios.gov.pl/artykuly/119/Badania-i-ocena-jakosci-powietrza

Monitoring results for the chemical action of atmospheric precipitation and deposits of pollutants on the ground in Poland http://www.gios.gov.pl/chemizm/index.html

Results of studies of background atmospheric pollutions at EMEP stations in Poland http://www.gios.gov.pl/artykuly/126/Badania-tla-zanieczyszczenia-atmosfery-wg-programow-miedzynarodowych

Results of online air quality measurements from automatic monitoring networks in voivodeships http://www.gios.gov.pl/artykuly/116/Jakosc-powietrza-on-line

National emissions of air pollutants https://krajowabaza.kobize.pl/person/login

National Development Strategy 2007-2015 http://www.mrr.gov.pl/english/strategies/srk/strony/srk.aspx

Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment http://www.pois.gov.pl/english/Strony/Introduction.aspx

National Environmental Policy 2009-2012 and Its 2016 Outlook, adopted by the Council of Ministers in December 2008 http://www.mos.gov.pl/g2/big/2009_07/2826c539c3015384e50adac8fe920b0b.pdf

Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland 1990-2008 http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/5840_737_ENG_HTML.htm

Statistical Yearbooks: Environmental Protection 1995-2008 http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/srodowisko_energia_ENG_HTML.htm

Regional Databank of the Central Statistics Office http://www.stat.gov.pl/bdren_n/app/strona.indeks

Results of forecasts of air quality http://www.gios.gov.pl/artykuly/129/Modelowanie-jakosci-powietrza