Poland launches drive to fight smog

The announcement comes after the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that Poland infringed air quality laws between 2007 and 2015, when the previous government was in power.

The new programme, which provides for subsidies for insulating homes, will start with a trial project centred on the poorest residents of the southern township of Skawina, on the outskirts of Kraków.

Skawina is one of 33 Polish towns most affected by smog, and is among the 50 most polluted towns in Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki previously said that improving the thermal efficiency of Polish households would lower the country’s consumption of coal, which would lead to better air quality.

Morawiecki said that it takes 4-5 tons of coal to heat an uninsulated home in the heating season, whereas following insulation the figure drops to 2-2.5 tons.

The government on Thursday signed an agreement with Skawina’s local authorities, paving the way for “a trial project aimed at tackling the problem of the poorest people in Skawina, who cannot afford to insulate their homes,” deputy minister for entrepreneurship and technology Piotr Woźny said.

The government plans to assist the remaining 32 towns most affected by air pollution, Woźny added.

“We encourage the local governing bodies of all [WHO-listed] towns to collaborate,” he said. “Our aim is to first sign agreements with 22 towns from the list with a population below 100,000,” Woźny added. (aba/pk)

Source: IAR