COMMUNICATION FROM THE POLISH ELECTRICITY COMMITTEE CONCERNING THE FINAL NEGOTIATIONS OF THE 24TH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION (COP24)
Poland was the host of this year's 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention The Climate Change Conference (COP24). From December 3-15, negotiators from 196 countries and the European Union worked on the Katowice Climate Package ("Katowice Rulebook"), a set of guidelines aimed at implementing the Paris Agreement.
Polish Committee for Electrical Energy (PKEEWelcomes the agreement reached in Katowice. The Katowice Climate Package sets out, among other things, principles of transparency that will make it possible to check and verify how the commitments made in the contributions are implemented by the Parties. Furthermore, the importance of adequate financing for climate action is highlighted. Therefore, the Katowice Package recommends that developed countries increase their ambition in this regard, so that $100 billion per year can be mobilized for this purpose in the 2020 perspective.
As the president of COP24, Deputy Minister of the Environment Michał Kurtyka, pointed out: - "We have a lot of work to do. The Katowice Package takes into account the interests of all Parties in a balanced, fair way. But more importantly, its impact on the world will be positive. It will enable us to take a big step towards achieving the ambitions enshrined in the Paris Agreement. An ambition that will ensure that our children will one day look back on our legacy and recognize that their parents made the right decisions at an important historical moment."
As a Member State of the European Union, Poland actively participates in legislative work that contributes to rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement. The objectives set out in the EU Governance Regulation, the revised RES Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive ("EED") will, inter alia, enable a significant increase in the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix, improvement of energy efficiency and better coordination of national plans until 2030. Moreover, according to the draft Polish Energy Policy published in December this year by the Ministry of Energy, by the end of 2030 the following is planned in Poland reduction in CO2 o 30% (relative to a base year of 1990).
The above-mentioned goals are extremely ambitious and require adequate financial resources for their implementation. Therefore, PKEE welcomes signing of the Declaration on Just TransitionSolidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declaration"), in accordance with with which the transformation should proceed on the basis of a solidarity-based and equitable model, which will allow climate action to continue while maintaining economic growth and jobs.
PKEE also supports the Polish-British initiative (supported by over 40 countries from 5 continents) concerning Partnerships for action on electromobility and zero-emission transport ("Driving Change Together Partnership"). The partnership aims to initiate cooperation at the international level and exchange of experience in the field of electromobility development.
In addition to government representatives, COP24 was also an opportunity to discuss environmental issues with more than 20,000 representatives from science, NGOs, business and politics from over 190 countries.
Polish Committee for Electricity, as a Strategic Partner of COP24, organized and actively participated in the events accompanying the ConferenceThe debates took place in the Polish Pavilion. During the debates co-organized by PKEE, the issues of just transformation were raised, innovation in the energy sector and activities of the sector aimed at improvement of the air quality. During the Climate Summit, the main assumptions of the dedicated PKEE Report for COP24 were also presented: "The contribution of the Polish energy sector to the implementation of the global climate policy