The Polish government and trade union representatives have agreed to phase out coal mining by 2049, reports Climate Home News. it adds: “The agreement was struck on Friday in the city Katowice, in the coal-rich southern region of Silesia, following several days of negotiations. It comes after hundreds of miners joined strikes this week by staying underground after their shifts in protest against threatened mine closures. This the first time Poland has put a timeline on ending coal, which accounts for around 75% of the country’s electricity generation.” 

EurActiv describes the deal as a “landmark plan”: “The agreement puts Poland on track to meeting European Union climate targets. Warsaw had previously rejected the existing EU target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, arguing it needed more time to make the transition. It also expressed concern last week over a proposal by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to raise the bloc’s 2030 target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from 40 to 55%. Dependant on coal for 80% of its power needs, Poland ranks among the EU members most reliant on the fossil fuel and there are still 80,000 coal miners who fear for their livelihoods. But their unions agreed to a government plan that would see the coal sector survive on subsidies until 2049, when the last mine would be shut.” Reuters says “the coronavirus crisis, coupled with EU climate policies, has pushed Warsaw to take more decisive steps over the loss-making sector”. Politico says that the coal deal is “part of a green shift that’s delighting many in Brussels”. While climate standards are a factor, economic concerns were central to the shift, Poland’s climate minister Michał Kurtyka told the online publication. He said such a shift was “unavoidable”, adding: “We are going to create a zero-emissions energy system for the future centered on offshore wind, nuclear and decentralised energy.”

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