People make fun of Greta Thunberg on the internet, but sometimes, even the memes can create a positive impact. What is the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing her name? Sure, she comes off as bratty and annoying, but ecology is the basic idea behind her brand.
As tech and industry advance forward, this matter becomes more important than ever. Countries and companies are working on implementing plans for preserving the environment, popularly called “green agendas.” Different approaches are used to deal with the rising problem, one of them being the zero-waste theory.
What it means is that companies should focus on making their production processes, such that they leave no waste behind in the long term. This applies to energy used, materials produced, and waste created along the way.
Unfortunately, we are far from achieving the state in which all countries and all companies are applying eco-friendly principles. Their cost, among other things, is just one of the obstacles to making the world a better place. One of the countries with high eco-awareness is Poland, which is why we’ll discuss the factors making it one of the European leaders when it comes to this field.
At one point during the 20th century, Poland was one of the European countries with the worst air pollution. They struggled to achieve higher air quality due to their economy being dependent on coal heating, and the level of industrial emissions was unbearable.
The health implications were the number one worry for everyone. The population suffered from respiratory problems, and the government was forced to look for solutions to avoid the potential for future catastrophes. In other words, they had a crisis to deal with.
The medical campaigns resulted not only in threatening the ill but also in spreading awareness of how important it is to deal with eco-related matters. Poland became united behind the goal of reducing its dependency on coal, and completely changing its environmental policies with the long-term future in mind.
When it comes to the protection of the environment and implementation of a green agenda within the industrial sector, Poland is light-years away from what it once was. However, there’s still work to be done as they remain the only EU country without a set date for implementing the zero-coal plan, which is supposed to end the use of coal and shift towards renewable and nuclear energy as prime sources.
Although this may sound like a bad thing at first, it isn’t. Their government has brought forward PEP2040 (Poland’s Energy Policy), which is supposed to reduce coal footprint and allow its economy to shift from this fossil source of fuel and energy.
All the companies within Poland’s market are obligated to follow its eco policies, regardless of their field of service. Whether you shop for laptops on Amazon or play online slots at Vulkan Casino, you’re subjugated to various environmental policies created to make sure no energy is wasted.
The people of Poland have a respectably high level of eco-awareness, and they’re doing everything necessary to make sure they don’t regress in that regard. That’s why, their education programs involve teaching kids about the importance of this matter as early as in preschool.
Some of the mandatory topics included in environmental protection classes are:
Sustainability;
Waste management;
Renewable energy sources;
CO2 emission.
This way Poland is setting the foundation for the future, allowing their youth to soak in the most important pieces of knowledge as they’re growing up. Instead of throwing workshops and initiatives at them after they’ve already formed potentially negative presumptions or habits, the government gives them the basics early on to ensure they only upgrade their eco-related knowledge as they move through the educational system.
According to the statistics, Poland had a 9% decrease in coal usage just in one year – from 2023 to 2024, and hopefully, this trend will continue forward. During the same period, they’ve increased the share of electricity generated from renewables by around 28%, which is nothing short of amazing.
Still, coal is the most dominant source for producing electricity in the country. This is why all the effort is directed towards applying more renewable ones, like wind and solar energy, but the challenge is switching to them without the economy losing a step.
So far, Poland is doing a good job on its path of eco improvement. From legal regulations to the educational system, and even the organic involvement of the people, everything’s dedicated to one common cause – making Poland a healthier environment to work and live in.
The government is expected to carry out even more significant changes and finally set an official date for eliminating coal from industrial use. Once coal is gone, it will be easier to replace materials like plastic, polyester, and other toxic substances that economies are so dependent upon.
