President Andrzej Duda said during the plenary session of the COP27 Conference that despite the challenges posed by the characteristics of Polish energy and industry, Poland is an example of a country following the path of sustainable development, significantly reducing emissions while increasing GDP.
The Polish leader recalled that over the past 30 years, Poland has achieved the adopted targets to reduce gas emissions by 2020, is actively developing a system of renewable energy sources and a low-carbon civil nuclear power programme. It is promoting electromobility and energy efficiency and developing new technologies. It is actively working to meet all set targets.
In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, President Duda said that the transformation of the world’s economies to greener technologies must not cause people to lose their jobs or their source of income. He stressed that a visible example of this is the rising energy prices in Europe.
“Let us remember that it is the transformation for the people, not the people for the transformation. I say this on behalf of millions of my fellow citizens, who, this coming winter, will not ask us how many of our ambitious climate goals we have achieved”, said the Polish President and emphasised that “we cannot be climate hypocrites. For it is easy for the leaders of the rich North to boast about their achievements. The world has the right to ask where we have moved our production. For if we have moved it into non-European countries, then we should not forget that our responsibility has not disappeared. We ourselves highlight that the climate is one”, added Andrzej Duda.
In the opinion of the Polish President, today our transformation is significantly hindered, also as a result of Russia’s criminal aggression against Ukraine, the consequence of which is crises and huge costs, threatening a delay in the climate transformation and in the achievement of the intended goals. It has also caused additional emissions, exceeding those generated in a year by many developing countries.
Adrian Andrzejewski