Adaptation Fund and Poland

The Polish COP 24 presidency aims for a historic meeting of the world’s representatives at COP to adopt decisions ensuring the full implementation of the Paris Agreement and other important decisions. It is hoped that COP 24 results will make it possible to jointly achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals, including keeping temperature rise below 2°C and achieving the global objective of climate change adaptation.

Under this year’s theme of ‘Changing Together’, the Polish Presidency has conveyed that the UN must act together to halt dangerous climate change with efforts tailored to capabilities of individual countries. The presidency plans to focus on three key themes:

  • Technology – development of climate-friendly modern solutions, such as electromobility;
  • Human – solidary and just transition of industrial regions;
  • Nature – achieving climate neutrality by absorbing CO2 by forests and land, or by water management.

Ms. Monika Antosik, Chief Expert at the Climate Policy Unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, is currently representing Poland and the Eastern Europe region on the Adaptation Fund Board.

Climate Change in Poland

  • The rise of temperature has been an issue in Poland as winters are getting warmer, beginning later, and ending earlier for the last decades.
  • Heat waves, droughts, severe storms, tornadoes and flooding are several factors that are observed in Poland.
  • Over the next 100 years, the average annual temperature in Poland could rise by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. It is predicted that during the summer months temperatures could reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius.

Climate Action

The Polish government has developed a series of regulations to popularize low- and zero-emission vehicles. The efforts include a “Clean Air” program which aims to reduce the emissions of atmospheric pollutants.  The government is making progress on protecting forests, and it plans to present the technique of absorbing CO2 by soil and forests (“Forest Carbon Farms” project) during COP24.

In 2017, the Policy Ministry of the Environment signed  an agreement for implementation of an innovative project “Developing plans for adaptation to climate change in cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants“. The project aims to assess the sensitivity to climate changes of 44 of the largest Polish cities and plan adaptation activities that are appropriate for the identified threats.

  • In 2013, the Polish government adapted its Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change by 2020. It includes objectives and directions for adaptation actions to be taken in the most vulnerable sectors and areas: water management, agriculture, forestry, biodiversity and protected areas, health, energy, building industry, transport, mountain areas, coastal zone, spatial development and urban areas.
  • In 2003, the Long-Term Coastal Protection Strategy came into force, which is a 50-year program with a 100-year perspective. The main objectives include maintaining the position of the shoreline as it was in 2000 along 30% of the coast, and applying managed retreat for the rest.