Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, a number of Polish activists and experts have informed about the need to become independent from fossil fuels from the Russian Federation.
They pointed out that the right direction was to move away from oil, gas and coal and focus on increasing energy flowing from clean sources.
Appeal to the Polish authorities
The representatives of the Climate Coalition have prepared an appeal to the Polish authorities, in which they appeal to stop importing Russian energy resources as soon as possible.
They emphasise that in 2020 alone, Poland imported over 16.5 million tonnes of Russian crude oil, almost 10 billion m3 of natural gas and almost 9.5 million tonnes of coal.
In recent years, Poland has bought oil and coal from Russia for over 730 billion PLN, and the value of the gas contract for the supply of this raw material to Poland has not been disclosed.
The authors of the appeal emphasise that the import of fossil fuels from Russia supports the regime of Vladimir Putin, and the aggression against Ukraine should mobilise Poland to carry out decarbonisation.
They say “Continuing to stick to fossil fuels de facto means the lack of energy sovereignty in our country. We urgently need to build our own independent and renewable energy sources.
The modernization of outdated energy networks should also become a priority. There is an urgent need to provide alternative, sustainable heat sources for residents and increase the scale of investments in energy efficiency and own energy sources in enterprises and industry.
Priority must be given to changes in transport, which can no longer rely on internal combustion engines. The electrification of public and freight transport is the necessary minimum that we must start with.
A lot of investments will be needed
In the face of the attack on Ukraine, these actions cannot be spread over many years ahead as assumed, but must begin in the days, weeks and months to come. Huge resources and a lot of investments will be needed.” says the Activists
The appeal also emphasised the importance of European Union support and the need to immediately end conflicts and redirect money from the EU Reconstruction Fund to the transformation of energy and transport.
“It is now the government’s duty to Polish women and men, a moral imperative and the real support that Ukraine needs. We do not agree to continue supporting Russian oil companies. We must build an economy based on European solidarity and alternative energy.
That is why we appeal to the government to take all possible measures to stop importing coal, gas and oil from the Russian Federation, ”emphasise the authors of the appeal signed by several dozen organisations.
“A wise man does not feed an aggressive neighbour. Therefore, the end of the import of Russian coal, gas and oil is necessary. It is in Poland’s vital interest to focus on energy efficiency in homes, industry and other industries. The safest fuel is the one that we will not use” – says Andrzej Guła who is leader of the Polish Smog Alert.
Source: Rzeczpospolita
