As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible, Poland is being hit more frequently by heatwaves, droughts and floods. The country has been developing adaptation plans for a decade, but a lack of coordination and oversight is hindering their effective implementation. However, both citizens and policymakers are becoming increasingly aware that Poland needs to step up its efforts to combat the consequences of rising temperatures.
The number of heatwaves will double within a decade
Like other European countries, Poland is already suffering from more frequent and severe periods associated with drought and flooding, as well as heat and cold waves. Between 2010 and 2019, drought occurred twice as often as in previous decades, with the agricultural sector hit the hardest. In the coming years, Poland will also have to tackle the depletion of water resources, increased coastal erosion and many other climate-related problems, according to research by the Institute of Environmental Protection, a government agency supervised by the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
Due to extreme weather conditions, Poland is already losing an average of PLN 6 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) annually, the institute noted in its report “Atlas of the impact of extreme phenomena in Poland” at the end of last year. According to calculations, direct losses reached approximately PLN 115 billion (EUR 24 billion) in less than two decades.
Adaptation strategy was developed in 2013
Climate change adaptation measures in Poland are primarily implemented by the Ministry of Climate and Environment (MKiS), which adopted a “strategic plan for adaptation to climate change for sectors and areas sensitive to climate change until 2020 with a perspective until 2030” in 2013. The document sets out what adaptation measures can be taken in areas such as water management, agriculture, forestry and biodiversity, as well as in urbanised areas, etc. An adaptation strategy for the coming years is currently being developed.
Furthermore, in 2019, the ministry published an environmental strategy focusing on ecosystem development and water resource management. The government has also prepared a draft law to strengthen the climate dimension of urban policy. These documents served to identify key climate change risks in Poland, provide accessible support for cities, and create a network to promote better cooperation between organisations in different sectors.
Poland’s adaptation measures are funded both directly by the government and through various EU programmes, such as the LIFE programme for the environment and climate action and the “Horizon” research and innovation programme. Funds are channelled at the national, regional and local levels through the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, which is a government agency under the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and other mechanisms.
Lack of coordination and cooperation
The biggest obstacle to more effective climate change adaptation in Poland is the lack of coordination and cooperation at national, regional and local levels, as well as the absence of a body responsible for monitoring measures at the national level, according to the Ministry of Climate and Environment. Experts argue that updating the 2013 national adaptation strategy could help overcome these problems.
“The administrative structure and the division of competencies make it difficult to create and implement an integrated adaptation policy that transcends administrative boundaries, thus hindering the response to threats. The inflexibility of these structures means insufficient resilience to climate change,” believes Malgoržata Hajto, head of the Department of Environmental Assessment, Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection at the Institute of Environmental Protection.
“Without an effective spatial planning system, we not only fail to adapt to climate change, but we also increase the risks associated with hazards – especially drought, floods or threats in the Baltic Sea coastal zone,” she added.
Polish citizens, officials and entrepreneurs involved in urban investments also lack sufficient awareness of the need to adapt to climate change, for example by using so-called “green and blue infrastructure”, which includes nature-based solutions. The ministry plans to combat this problem by organising specialised training for municipal staff, which will, among other things, cover natural resource inventory, green development potential and “green and blue” infrastructure in Polish cities.
Awareness levels are gradually rising as the government has begun to focus on how climate change will affect, for example, health. High temperatures (especially in cities) contribute to the number of deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as increasing the amount of pollen and allergens, for example.
Greenwashing elements
Despite some recent progress, climate change adaptation is not yet sufficiently rooted in the minds of decision-makers at local and government levels, nor in the wider public, according to Ivona Wagner, professor at the University of Lodz and head of the UNESCO Chair in Ecohydrology and Applied Ecology.
“Climate change adaptation mainly concerns large cities, and there is increasing interest in smaller towns. Sometimes “greenwashing” elements appear in urban plans,” I. Wagner told Clean Energy Wire. “Action in rural areas and agriculture is still insufficient, even though adaptation is a necessary measure due to increasing drought. In both agriculture and natural areas, the key role of biodiversity conservation and restoration, and the related benefits, are still not sufficiently appreciated in Poland,” she stressed, adding that the benefits also have a financial, social and economic dimension. Wagner also pointed to a lack of regulation that hinders implementation.
Cities resilient to climate change
Adaptation to climate change in Poland is often limited to rainwater management and the restoration of green spaces in cities, admitted Wagner. Instead, it should become a systemic solution that includes all areas and sectors, such as industry, transport and energy.
Several important programmes have been launched in the country to support climate change adaptation at the local level. The first is the project “Development of climate change adaptation plans in cities with a population of over 100,000”, which aims to increase the resilience of the 44 largest cities to climate change. Each city has received an analysis of its climate risks and the sectors most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Another innovative programme is “My Water”, under which households can receive funding to invest in water reservoirs and thus mitigate the effects of drought.
The “City with Climate” project, which was first implemented in 2020, supports local governments on climate and nature transformation issues, including improving the quality of life for residents. In recent years, the government has also implemented initiatives such as “No more concrete in city centres”, which aims to mitigate the “urban heat island” phenomenon by increasing water retention and greening levels.
Local authorities can also use the “Handbook for Cities: Nature and Climate Indicators for Sustainable Urban Development”. The handbook provides a step-by-step description of how to calculate indicator values for green areas and urban conservation, impervious (concrete) surfaces, urban “heat islands” and biodiversity. Many cities, including Gdańsk, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław and Warsaw, have already begun replacing concrete and asphalt with vegetation.
Adaptation of waterways
Other already implemented projects that help adapt to climate change include river restoration measures in the Biebrza Valley in north-eastern Poland. This area faces increasingly long periods of drought and falling water levels, and is included in the EU Natura 2000 network, which includes nesting and resting places for rare species. As part of the project, which has been operating since 2011, work was carried out to restore the original hydrological conditions in the middle basin of the Biebrza Valley. The water flow in the original riverbed was restored and increased, the natural water system was rehabilitated, and the degradation of peat soils and valuable habitats of fauna and flora was halted. The second phase of the project is currently being implemented.
Another project is the ecohydrological rehabilitation (2011-2015) of the Arturówek recreational reservoirs in the city of Lodz, which is a pilot project for the rehabilitation of urban reservoirs in Poland. Thanks to the biofiltration of rainwater, it can be used for recreational purposes. As a result of these measures, water quality in the reservoirs and the Bzura River has improved. The researchers received recognition from the European Commission – the “Best LIFE projects” award. A similar project is being implemented in the city of Radom, in the central-eastern part of Poland.