What does Poland expect from the 17th United Nations Climate Conference in Durban? The world climate negotiations, the height of which is attained this year at the climate summit in Durban, are at a very important moment. On the one hand, at the end of next year the first settlement period of the Kyoto Protocol expires. A question arises: what will happen next with the protocol and the obligations arising from that legal arrangement? But also there is a more basic question: what will happen next with the world climate policy and our efforts with respect to the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions. The Durban climate summit started a week ago and only the European Union turned up at it with a very ambitious approach to the climate issues. None of the large economies - developed, developing or being halfway through the development – has a serious offer and declarations regarding own reduction ambitions. With respect to the CO2 emission reduction, only joint effort makes sense and only as such can truly prevent climate changes and save, among others, the island countries from flooding by the sea. The climate changes are definitely a problem for the island countries but are the CO2 emissions a problem for us? It seems that the economic downturn has reviewed ambitious climate policy of the EU and our companies can consent to such policy more peacefully. In the perspective of 20 years, as Poland we have reduced the CO2 emissions by 30% and this is one of the better results in the EU. At the same time, we have had constant economic growth during this period. One has to remember about this phenomenon because we have very serious achievements in this area, one of the most extensive in Europe. With respect to the solutions in the future, for the climate protection policy to be effective, it has to be universal. The EU itself, even though it undertakes very ambitious objectives, will not be able to introduce such emission restrictions which would have impact on the climate protection because the EU is responsible for 11% of the world emissions. The objective of the emissions reduction by 30 % by 2020 has been postponed for the time being at the EU because there is no involvement of the other partners in the global understanding but after the Durban summit Denmark will take over the presidency at the EU which definitely will be willing to come back to this idea. What does Poland think about this? The political decision of the European Council is clear at this point. The EU declares its readiness to reduce the emissions by more than 20 %, even up to 30%, but when the international legal system, which will lead to the reduction of the greenhouse gas emission based on the agreement on a global scale, is in force. What was problematic before Durban and continues to be problematic during the summit in Durban, is even the way to reach to and the concept of the new agreement and, unfortunately, not the global agreement itself. In consequence, the basic condition agreed upon between the heads of the EU governments is far from being fulfilled.

 

When we speak about the impact of the industry on the environment, one has to ask about the shale gas. The EU was supposed to issue the position about the safety of the fracturing, whether the technology is safe for the environment. The fracturing method itself has been used for decades. It is not a revolutionary method, it is innovative to that extent that it has been applied in the US with respect to such stratigraphic sections from which the shale gas may be extracted on an industrial scale. In my view, such processes are environmentally safe and it seems to me that there is no need to regulate such issues at a level higher than the national. Have the ideas of the EU regulations regarding the shale gas been dismissed? Does that mean that the road to our gas is open? We have to wait for the results of the tests of the licenses which have been issued in order to know what volume of this gas is realistically feasible for extraction, what will be its commercial prices. We have great hopes in connection therewith but we have to be patient and wait for the outcome of the tests which are carried out. Of course that I have heard about the initiatives and ideas to introduce certain regulations at the European level regarding the shale gas, but it seems to me that there is no room for that. Will there be additional regulations at the national level, e.g. with respect to the surface waters? Such threats which are pointed to by certain analysts and certain centres, with respect to the surface waters, are, in my view, exaggerated. The drillings which concern the shale gas are very deep. The borehole itself is very accurate and tight because it contains at least a few tubes inserted into the ground and additionally the concrete is poured between them. The gas is drilled at a few hundred meters or even deeper and the surface waters are at the few dozen meters. That is why physically there is no danger for the surface waters to be endangered by the activities related with the shale gas drillings. What will be your priorities at the Ministry: climate protection, shale gas...? I took the office of the Minister at a specific moment, just before the conference in Durban, where we do not go as a regular EU state but we have certain duties arising from our presidency at the EU. Today, the priority is the conference in Durban, I want this conference to have a good outcome. The shale gas will definitely be one of the most important areas of the Ministry activities in a sense of regulations that we will be introducing into the legal regime. This regime will not focus on gas only but will constitute the new approach to the geological resources in general. The shale gas is most likely one of the most emotional topics. Would you advise Polish investors to invest in traditional coal technologies? My advice is that all the investment decisions – Polish and not only – should be focused in particular on the new technologies which are the most efficient and the least energy consuming. We are used to the fact that we have the asset such as significant coal deposits. But this is also a resource which will be depleted. That is why we need to look for solutions which are the most efficient, either because of the climatic issues and the COs emissions or because of the use of the resource. One has to look for more efficient technologies. (...)

 

 

 

Source: Rzeczpospolita B, Page No.: 1, 2011-12-05, By: Jeremi Jędrzejkowski, Magdalena Kozmana