English Closer to Brussels, no 18 Climate Changes

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e–magazine of the małopolska region brussels office

climate changes

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Living in a changing climatetext: hans bruyninckx

Foreword text: jacek krupa, marshal of the małopolska region

Agreement cop 21 – ambitious, but feasible?interview with: bernardem soulage

Innovative ideas to fight climate changetext: wojciech łapiński

Covenant of Mayors – our hope for a better climatetext: kata tűttö & radim dvořák

Małopolska is concquering Brussels: the life project - the Malopolska in a healthy climatetext: joanna kiersnowska

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

› Climate change is happening before our very eyes. Last year was probably the warmest year in the history of mankind and signs are that the coming years will reach new historic records in this regard. Global warming is already having an impact on key sectors of the global economy, security and hu-manitarian situation. Therefore, the international community has set itself the goal of halting the rapid increase in average world temperatures which can lead to irreversible changes on our planet.

In the latest issue of the “Closer to Brussels” e-magazine, the subject of which is climate change, you will read what hopes are laid upon the summit in Paris and what legislative measures are planned in this area in the European Commission. State-ments by a panel of experts, evaluating the impact of climate change and its influence on our lives, will also be a valuable source of information.

Foreword#

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The European Union, for 25 years, has been a leader in implementing measures to improve the climate and to fight against global warming, for instance, by limiting the quantity of pollutants emitted. In this context, the struggle in our region, pioneering with its scale in Poland, is worth remembering – the Małopolska Region is struggling to breath clean air. Our efforts in the fight against smog are described in the “Małopolska is conquering Brussels” column.

However, regardless of system solutions, it is worth remembering that changes start with ourselves and that each of us has an impact on the environment. Let’s make our attitudes good examples of responsibility, not only for the environment, but for the whole planet!

Enjoy your reading,

Jacek KrupaMarshal of the Małopolska Region



# Living in a changing climate

The warming since the mid-20th century is predominantly due to an increase in greenhouse-gas concentrations as a result of emissions from human activities

Introduction

› Our climate is changing. Scientific evidence shows that the global ave-rage temperature is rising, and rainfall patterns are shifting. It also shows that glaciers, Arctic sea-ice and the Greenland ice sheet are melting. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report shows that the warming since the mid-20th century is predominantly due to an increase in greenhouse-gas concentrations as a result of emissions from human activities. Combustion of fossil fuels and changes in land use are largely responsible for this increase.

It is clear that we need to reduce global greenhouse-gas emissions substantially in order to avoid the most adverse impacts of climate change. It is also clear that we need to adapt to our changing climate. Even with substantial reductions in our greenhouse-gas emissions, our climate is ex-pected to change to some degree and the impacts of this will be felt across the world, including in Europe. Floods and droughts are expected to become more frequent and intense. Warmer temperatures, changes in precipitation levels and patterns, or extreme weather events are already impacting our health, natural environment, and economy.

Climate change affects us

› We might not be aware of it but climate change affects us all: farmers, fishermen, asthma patients, the elderly, infants, urban residents, skiers, beachgoers… Extreme weather events, such as floods and storm surges, can devastate small communities — and even regions and countries. Heatwaves

text:hans bruyninckx

eea executive director

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Without adaptation actions heat-related deaths could reach about 200 000 per year in Europe by 2100†††

can exacerbate air pollution, aggravating cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and in some cases resulting in loss of life.

Warmer oceans risk unbalancing the entire food chain, and hence marine life, adding extra pressures to already overexploited fish stocks. Higher temperatures can also change the carbon storage capacity of the soil — the second largest carbon sink after the oceans. Droughts and warmer temperatures can impact agricultural production, driving up the competi-tion between economic sectors for precious resources like water and land.

These impacts result in real losses. Recent research estimates that without adaptation actions heat-related deaths could reach about 200 000 per year in Europe by 2100. The cost of river flood damages could be more than EUR 10 billion a year. Other climate-change impacts include the damage from forest fires, reduced crop yields, or lost workdays due to respiratory diseases.

Faced with such current and future impacts, Europeans have no choice but to adapt to climate change. A European Union-level adaptation strategy is already in place to help countries plan their adaptation activities, and more than 20 European countries have adopted national adaptation strategies.

Some ongoing adaptation projects involve large projects to build new infrastructure (e.g. dykes and flood drains), whereas others propose resto-ring ecosystems to allow nature to tackle climate change impacts such as excess water or heat. Different initiatives and funding opportunities exist to help countries, cities, and regions prepare for climate change impacts and reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions.

hans bruyninckx› Professor Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. Before he was head of the hiva Research Institute in Leuven, Belgium, head of the Political Science department of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Dr Bruyninckx has also been a senior member of the interdisciplinary Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies and promoter-coordinator of the Flemish Policy Research Centre on Transitions for Sustainable Development (trado). Over the last 20 years, he has con-ducted and managed policy-oriented research in the areas of environmental politics, climate change, and sustain-able development.

living in a changing climate



Reducing emissions

› The severity of climate change will depend on how much and how quickly we can cut greenhouse-gas emissions released into the atmosphere. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times. It is a global problem and concerns us all. The scientific community strongly recommends limi-ting the rise in global average temperatures and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to avoid adverse impacts of climate change. Within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the international community has agreed to limit the global average temperature increase to 2°C above pre-industrial times.

If the global average temperature increases above 2°C, climate change will have much more severe impacts on our health, natural environment, and economy. An average 2°C increase means that temperatures will actually rise more than 2°C in certain parts of the world, especially in the Arctic, where greater impacts will threaten unique natural systems.

The European Union has set ambitious long-term goals on climate--change mitigation. In 2013, the EU had already reduced its domestic greenhouse-gas emissions by 19% compared to 1990 levels. The target of a 20% reduction by 2020 is within reach.

› Achieving a reduction of at least 40% in domestic emissions (i.e. emitted in the EU) by 2030 and an 80-95% reduction by 2050 will partly depend on the EU’s ability to channel sufficient amounts of public and private funds towards sustainable and innovative technologies. Effective carbon

The scientific community strongly recommends limiting the rise in global average temperatures and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions

The target of a 20% reduction by 2020 is within reach

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prices and regulations are instrumental in steering investments towards climate-friendly innovations, in renewable energy and energy efficiency in particular. In some cases, funding decisions might also entail divesting away from some sectors and restructuring others.

› Emission reductions by EU Member States would address the problem only partly, because the EU currently emits only around 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. It is clear that achieving the 2°C target requires a global effort with substantial cuts to global greenhouse-gas emissions. The scientific community estimates that to achieve the 2°C target only a limited amount of carbon can be released into the atmosphere before the end of the century. The world has already released the large majority of this ‘carbon budget’. At current rates, the entire carbon budget will be exhausted well before 2100.

To increase our chances of limiting the average temperature increase to 2°C, scientific studies show that global emissions have to peak in 2020, and then start declining. In this context, the upcoming climate talks (COP21) in Paris need to become a turning point for a global agreement on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions and providing support to developing countries.

The EU currently emits only around 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions




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A low-carbon future by 2050 is possible

› At the heart of the problem lie unsustainable consumption and produ--ction patterns. Building on recent trends observed in Europe’s environment and on global megatrends, our recent report ‘The European environment — state and outlook 2015’ calls for a transition to a green economy. The green economy is a sustainable way of life that allows us to live well, and within the limits of our planet. This transition involves structural changes to key systems, such as energy and transport, which require long-term investments in our infrastructure.

Europeans are already investing in these key systems. The challenge is to make sure that all current and future investments put us one step closer to greening our economy, and do not lock us into an unsustainable path of development. Making the right investments today will not only minimise the overall costs of climate change, but it can strengthen Europe’s expertise in the thriving eco-industries — the economy of the future. At the end of the day, we all have a stake in defining what life with climate change will look like.

The challenge we are facing might seem daunting. But no matter how big the challenge may be, the 2°C target is still within our reach. We now need to be courageous and ambitious enough to grasp it.

The challenge is to make sure that all current and future investments put us one step closer to greening our economy, and do not lock us into an unsustainable path of development

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renata jasiołek: What is your perception of the draft text that will be submitted in Paris? How does it differ from Kyoto Protocol, which is meant to be replaced by the new agreement?bernard soulage: Kyoto was an essential pillar of global climate policy, as it sets the basis of a regu-latory, top-down approach on climate: a global objective declined in national objectives, with a global monitoring system. It was also the only binding agreement on climate at global level. However, we have to remember that it was elabo-rated in a different world that the one we know today: China and other major powers were only developing countries with low emissions at the time, the protocol covered what is now a small part of global emissions, and had never been ratified by the United States, one of the most important greenhouse gas emitters by habitant in the world.The approach used today is reversed: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has invited all Parties to voluntarily submit their estimated contribution, the “indcs”. If these national pledges will indeed curb the rate of greenhouse emissions, they are however still unsatisfactory as estimations show that they will limit global warming only by 2,7°, which will still cause major damages to populations and eco-systems. An important effort is still expected in

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interview with bernard soulage vice-president of the region rhone-alpes by renata jasiołek head of malopolska region brussels office

Agreement cop 21 – ambitious, but feasible?

Paris, and I am working hard with international networks to raise the level of ambitions through transformative actions by all stakeholders.

RJ: The summit of December in Paris (actually unfccc cop21 - the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) will be a crucial moment for reaching a global agreement on climate change. How do you asses the chances of reaching a common posi-tion? In your opinion, what are the moot points that might lead to a lack of consensus?BS: The main obstacles to the agreement are, first, what we call the “common but differenti-ated responsibilities and respective capabili-ties”, that is to say the fair repartition of the mitigation efforts between developed and de-

veloping countries: the latter are now important greenhouse gas emitters, but claim their right to develop without being impeded by emissions targets. The question of “mrv” (measurement, report-ing and verification) to follow the commitments taken by the Parties is also a key issue, directly con-

nected to the notion of respective capabilities. The issue of the agreement’s ambition, relying both on a long-term goal and on a reviewing mechanism allowing to regularly upgrade the commitments, are probably the most important

Kyoto was the only binding agreement on climate at global level $


ones, and also the most sensitive. This is an is-sue that I strongly advocate, as a coordinator of the World Summit on Climate and Territories (wsct). The common declaration of the non-State actors networks that took part in the wsct will deliver this message to the negotiators.Moreover, the issue of financing will be a key one during the negotiations. I am however optimistic on this particular issue, as we are making good progresses to reach the 100 billions of dollars per year for climate targeted at the Copenhagen Conference. Finally, we are of course concerned about the legal status of the future agreement. The Unit-ed States, as you may know, have already an-nounced that they would not ratify anything. The support and action of local and regional governments and all non-State stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of ambitious climate policies in a proactive way is all the more important in this context.

RJ: Rhone-Alpes Region is deeply involved in activities regarding reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; just to mention, last July in Lyon took place the World Summit Climate & Territories. This event gave an opportunity for signing a memorandum of understand-ing (mou), initiated by California and Baden-Württemberg, in which regions - signatories commit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 to 95% by 2050 in comparison to the

commitment approved in 1990. This is a very ambitious plan – do you think it is feasible?BS: We have to remember that Regions are re-sponsible for key policies in term of climate ac-tion, such as public transport, building rehabili-tation, etc. Our proximity to the citizens allow us to implement tailor-made awareness-raising actions: in Rhône-Alpes, we have paid special attention to targeted citizen-based initiatives such as “au travail j’y vais autrement” (I go to work differently) or “Famille à Energie positive” (energy reduction challenges between Rhône-Alpes’ families). We have implemented various key policies, from supporting local authorities in their building rehabilitation investments and strategies to innovative financial instruments for the promotion of renewable energy. Rhône-Alpes had already adopted ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, go-ing beyond national levels, before joining the Under2MoU. In 2012, we had already decreased our emissions from 10% comparing to 1990 level, and I am confident that we will reach our ob-jectives of respectively 29% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. We know that our interest is in bold climate action: at the same time to preserve our natural patrimony and our infrastructures, which are very sensitive to climate change, and to provide growth, innovation and new jobs for our territory.

We are making good progresses to reach the 100 billions of dollars per year for climate targeted at the Copenhagen Conference$

agreement cop 21



RJ: Besides of the Memorandum of Understand-ing (mou), since 2008 exists Covenant of May-ors, which aims, among others, also moving further than the eu target in reducing co2 emissions by 20% by 2020. Meantime, in the preamble to the climate agreement drawn up by the United Nations, local governments are not mentioned. Shouldn’t be in it a place for multilevel governance? What should be the role of cities and regions in the fight against global warming? Are you satisfied with the way local and regional authorities are now acknowledged in negotiation texts and process?

Regions are responsible for key policies in term of climate action

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BS: I am rather optimistic about the role non-state actors are taking. More and more Parties are integrating the commitments of their local and regional governments in their indc (France, Canada, United States, etc.). The nazca platform, gathering the commitments of non-state actors towards 2020, is taking a growing importance. Moreover, even if we can still find room for im-provement, the draft text mentions subnational governments both in the the agreement itself, focusing on the post-2020 period, and in the workstream 2 (which gathers the action led by all stakeholders before 2020, and where local and regional governments play an important role).It is still possible that some national States that are traditionally reluctant to mentioning non-state actors might object to a mention in the final text, but we will have various occasions during the cop21 to make ourselves heard, especially during the non-state actor day on December the 8th.

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bernard soulage› Bernard Soulage graduated at Sciences Po Paris; He holds a PhD in urban planning and development, and an agregation degree in economic and social sciences. He has been a member of the French Socialist Party since 1974 and has served as its Secretary General in charge of Higher Education. His duties within the Rhône-Alpes Region include the First Vice-presidency in charge of transport between 2004 and 2010 and the Vice-presidency in charge of European and International Affairs since 2010.

› Among other responsibilities, he also was a member of the European Parliament in 2009, and is a member of the European Committee of the Regions. With senator Ronan DANTEC, he is the coordinator of the World Summit on Climate and Territories, a unique event gathering 800 non-state actors from all over the world in Lyon the 1st and 2nd of July to present their proposals and commitments in the field of climate change.

source: www.wikimedia.org

agreement cop 21



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This article presents some innovative, sometimes seemingly futuristic, methods of limiting production of heat released into the atmosphere

› Global warming is one of the biggest problems concerning not only the whole of humanity, but also the flora and fauna of the Earth. Fighting with it is a major challenge for many international organizations. They take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage waste in a more rational way and reduce energy consumption. Each inhabitant of the planet, so intensively exploited, can provide many examples from their own backyard. Let’s take, for example, the change from winter to summer time, it causes huge energy savings; or even the production of washing powders with washing enzymes activated in increasingly lower temperatures. This article presents some innovative, sometimes seemingly futuristic, methods of limiting production of heat released into the atmosphere.

The agri-food industry already knows biodegradable dishes or edible cups made of wheat bran. However, plastic PET bottles have not been eliminated so far, 89 billion of them are sold worldwide each year. Before this thermoplastic polyethylene terephthalate (the very name gives us massive creep) decomposes in the environment, it stays there for decades. Additionally, the Environmental Health Perspectives in April 2010 drew attention to the potential harm to human health. At this point, innovative scientists come to the rescue, offering "edible water bottles". As it turns out, using edible algae, they can produce a material so strong and resistant to damage that capsules formed of it enable storing water in sterile conditions. Consumers will have the possibility to decide whether they only consume the liquid content or eat the nutritious packaging as well. In the first case,

text:wojciech łapiński

Innovative ideas to fight climate change


the algae will decompose without damage to the environment. The project is co-financed by the European Institute of Innovation (more about "edible water bottles" on & http://www.skippingrockslab.com).

Pestalotiopsis microspore, discovered in 2012, can also be of help in the fight against the ubiquitous plastic. The fungus, resembling a chanterelle, feeds on the polyurethane widely used in the production of adhesives, foams, garden hoses, shoes, bottles and paint. Pestalotiopsis microspora is a species of fungal endophytes, capable of decomposing and dissolving polyurethane in an anaerobic environment, therefore, it is ideal for use in landfills, sew-age networks and in other places where plastic gets accumulated - even underground. And, despite the fact that scientists say that we still need to wait for massive, industrial use of Pestalotiopsis for about twenty years, the vision of landfills covered with fungi decomposing them is optimistic.

Meanwhile, landfills generate huge masses of landfill gas released into the atmosphere. Its basic components include methane and carbon diox-ide, causing global warming. The Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process (STEP) can be a remedy for the high CO2 content in the air. American scientists are working to develop a kind of an oven using solar energy to collect CO2 from the atmosphere and to process it into carbon fibres. O2 would be a by-product of course. According to researchers, such a device, with the size of approx. 10% of the Sahara Dessert, will be enough to get us back to the level of carbon dioxide from the pre-industrial era within less than ten years. The carbon fibres produced in this process, so widely

innovative ideas to fight climate change

Innovative scientists come to the rescue, offering "edible water bottles"

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wojciech łapiński

› A graduate from the Faculty of Management at the Warsaw Univer-sity in Poland (2005), a recipient of the Prime Minister scholarship (2004), a recipient of two scholarships of the Commissariat Général aux Relations Internationales in Belgium (2005 and 2006); he received his Diplôme d'études approfondies en sciences de gestion with a specialization in International Marketing (2007) at the Solvay Business School - Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. A for-mer expert of the Department of Trade Promotion and Investment of the Polish Embassy in Brussels, cur-rently an EU Policy Officer at the Rep-resentation of the Małopolska Region in Brussels. An enthusiast of innova-tive technologies and ICT solutions.



used in the world, should not be more expensive than those already of-fered on the market.

The Sun is a powerful source of energy that can help not only in reducing the level of carbon dioxide in the air but it can also help in the production of electricity. Today, photovoltaic panels mounted on rooftops around the world are no surprise. An investment in Morocco, co-sponsored by the World Bank, is an interesting way to use the panels. The world's largest solar power plant is being constructed there, consisting of 500 000 smart mirrors with a height of 12 meters, arranged in 800 rows. The panels’ in-novation will be their auto-maximization of productivity, since the mirrors, just like sunflowers - will turn to the sun. The project should be ready by 2020, ultimately producing 580 megawatts of electricity. The amount will successfully cover half of Morocco's demand for electricity.

For the less needy, one small source of power will be enough, instead of 580 megawatts. In such a case, a mobile / handheld electrical socket (Windows Socket) can be of help. It is hard to imagine such a device, at-tached to glass with a suction cup and generating enough electricity to power an office light. Scientists, however, are working on improving the solution. Today, it provides power equal to a half of an AA battery (more on the Windows Socket on • http://www.yankodesign.com/2013/04/26/plug-it-on-the-window).

Speaking about lightning, why not to save energy lighting city streets without electricity? French biotechnologists are working on using jellyfish

Each inhabitant of the Earth must take actions aimed at reducing CO2 emissions

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bioluminescence to lighten buildings. The Glowee product concept consists in producing a self-adhesive film with "glowing" bacteria enclosed, those contained in deep-sea fish, jellyfish or even squid. Currently Glowee has a limited life time, lasting enough for 72 hours. But the concept of green-blue lightening of urban agglomerations without using a single watt of the eclectic network seems to be worthwhile (more on Glowee can be found on • http://www.glowee.fr).

All of these concepts have more or less realistic chances for being implemented in the European Union within the coming years, even with the use of the Horyzont2020 programme. However, one thing will not change: each inhabitant of the Earth must take actions aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, at reducing the amount of waste produced by households. Any of the presented inventions will apply in everyday lives of all human beings only when they are aware of the importance of them for the future of the Earth's environment.

So, let's get to work!

innovative ideas to fight climate change



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› Local and regional authorities are the pillars of the EU's climate policy. There is still hope for our climate. We all want to live in cleaner, greener and more sustainable cities. And it is the cities which are the real pushers for change. According to the UNDP cities and regions are behind more than 70% of climate change reduction measures and 90% of climate adaptation measures. Cities and regions often do much more than the states. Therefore we at the Committee of the Regions believe that national governments cannot afford to ignore local authorities in our shared fight to end climate change. For the CoR – which is a consultative body composed of Europe's local and regional leaders – better air quality, cheaper energy, better transport systems and the overall greening of our cities makes political and economic sense. As representatives of the local and regional level here in Brussels, we have now succeeded to convince the Paris negotiators to acknowledge our role in fighting the climate change. For the first time – the role of local governments has officially been recognised in the new global agreement!

› The Paris talks offered cities and regions across the globe a chance to build alliances. It is clear that our level of ambition on climate action often super-sedes that of national governments. It is time to deliver for our communities, which is why we at the Committee of the Regions commit to promoting the Covenant of Mayors, both in Europe and beyond.

Why the Covenant of Mayors? The Covenant of Mayors is a perfect example of successful multi-level governance in climate policy: it delivers results and surpasses national ambition. It makes everyone work together and pool resources. The Committee of the Regions has always supported the Covenant since its creation. In addition, we are the most involved institution as over 180 our members are Covenant signatories. We have closely followed the evolution of this initiative and are ready to help in the next phase – to move the Covenant beyond its base in Europe and to turn it into a global movement. The globalisation of the Covenant must be welcomed with open

text:

kata tűttö & radim dvořák

Covenant of Mayors– our hope for a better

National governments cannot afford to ignore local authorities in our shared fight to end climate change

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arms. Opening up the model worldwide offers an opportunity to allow cities and regions across the globe to collaborate, share ambition and set the future agenda on climate change.

Following the successful edition of the COP21 a new era for the Covenant of Mayors is beginning. The CoR agrees that creating an alliance with subnational governments is crucial for the success of this undertaking.

The CoR has also decided to upscale its support to the initiative and create a group of 'Friends of the Covenant'. It is about enabling members of the Committee of the Regions who are also signatories of the Covenant to promote the Covenant in different events they are attending as well as back home and among CoR members who are not part of the Covenant.

We would like to call on European and the world's local and regional le-aders to embrace the model of the Covenant of Mayors as a functioning and successful tool for mobilising all levels of government around the principle of multi-level governance. Local and regional authorities should seek support from higher levels of government and convince them of their added value. In the CoR's most recent report on the Future of the Covenant of Mayors which was adopted at our December Plenary on the eve of the COP21, we have made clear and concrete commitments to continuing its institutional support for the Covenant of Mayors and encouraging, with the help of its current members, accession to the Covenant and the corresponding commitment to achieving the European Union's energy policy objectives and exceeding their targets. The CoR declares itself ready to help spread this model by means of partnerships with cities and regions in third countries. The Covenant of Mayors is a step towards a concrete yet flexible multi-level governance on climate. It demonstrates that bottom-up initiatives across the planet do and will continue to contribute to creating a more sustainable and fairer world.

› What we aim for is nothing less than a bit more climate justice across the world, sustainable development, and enhanced action on climate.

kata tűttö

radim dvořák

› Representative of Local Govern-ment of District 12 of Budapest, mem-ber of the European Committee of the Regions since 2007, rapporteur for the opinion on the future of the Covenant of Mayors upon the ENVE Commission

› Administrator for the Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) at the Directorate for Legislative Works of the European Committee of the Regions



The LIFE Project Malopolska Region in a healthy climatetext:joanna kiersnowska

› The Malopolska Region has long been strug-gling with the serious problem of air pollution; the concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and the car-cinogenic benzo(a)pyrene, threatening life and health, exceeded six times the legal limit in the first days of November 2015. Residents were advised not to leave their homes, to close win-dows, give up such sports as running or cycling. It is impossible to escape from such a threat in the air, that is why the problem of smog in the Malopolska Region has been recently stressed by regional authorities and social organizations as well as associations acting for the protection of the environment. In November of 2013, the Malopolska Region Assembly adopted the so-called Anti-smog Resolution on the types of fuels approved for use within the area of the Municipality of Krakow, which banned the use of solid fuels to heat buildings. It is worth mentioning that the Malopolska Region was the first in the country to take such radical steps in the fight for clean air.

The Malopolska Region is also the initiator

In November of 2013, the Malopolska Region Assembly adopted the so-called Anti-smog Resolution which banned the use of solid fuels to heat buildings

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and has great faith in the amendment to Art. 96 of the Environmental Protection Act signed in September 2015 by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. It enables increased influence of local government on decisions taken in the field of air protection. Moreover, allocation of 420 million euros for activities related to regional energy policy has been envisaged under the Regional Operational Programme for the Malopolska Region for 2014-2020. These funds will be used, among other things, to subsidize the replacement of boilers and thermo-moder-nization of buildings (approx. 196 million euros).

Changing the law at the state level is not enough, during the work on the air protection programme for the Malopolska Region, the main barriers that hinder significant improve-ment of the situation were identified, they inclu-de the lack of people who would provide advice and assistance for the residents of the Malopolska Region in terms of applying for subsidized, for example, replacement of a low-efficiency coal-fi-red boiler or any building thermomodernization.

It was also observed serious Deficiencies in the awareness of the region's population were also noticed with reference to air pollution, resulting in, e.g. widespread burning of municipal waste in coal-fired furnaces.

the life project malopolska region in a healthy climate

Allocation of 420 million euros for activities related to regional energy policy has been envisaged under the Regional Operational Programme for the Malopolska Region for 2014-2020

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Projekt LIFE#

In response to the identified barriers, the Malopolska Region and its partners have undertaken an initiative to apply for funding for the project from the LIFE financial instrument of the European Commission. In September 2015, under the EU experts’ decision, the LIFE integrated project of the Malopolska Region got the highest score of all of the 39 projects across the European Union. This is an unquestionable success of the region in the international arena and a great challenge on the way to the "Malopolska Region in a healthy climate".$


Project assumptions

The flagship element of the project is the employment of the so-called EcoAdvisors in each of the 37 municipalities

› The overarching objectives of the LIFE IP project for the Malopolska Region is a multi-faceted support for the implementation of the air protection programme in the region of Malopolska, efficient use of available national and EU funds earmarked, among others, on thermomodernization of buildings and replace-ment of coal boilers, as well as removal of major barriers and obstacles to the achievement of measurable environmental effects in the region. The beneficiary coordinating the project is the Marshal’s Office of the Malopolska Region and the co-beneficiaries include: the Association Krakow Smog Alert, the Krakow Energy Con-servation Agency (KAPE), the Energy Conserva-tion Company (ESCO), Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO), the Czech Ministry of Environment, the Slovak Hydro-meteorological Institute and 38 Malopolska municipalities, including the City of Krakow.

› The LIFE Integrated Project brings toge-ther various elements aimed at the common goal of cleaner air in the region. The integrated elements are: Polish and foreign entities, the territory of the Central and Eastern Europe struggling with the problem of air pollution, measures aimed at helping residents in apply-ing for subsidized replacement of furnaces and thermomodernization of buildings and public awareness campaigns conducted to raise the

awareness of citizens about the impact of pollu-tion on human health. The project will include developing a new high-resolution modeling platform for Krakow and Rabka Zdrój which will enable considering various scenarios for activities related to the reduction of pollution. An over-regional inventory of emission sources will also be conducted. The flagship element of the project is the employment of the so-called EcoAdvisors in each of the 37 municipalities, specialists whose task will be to integrate the activities related to air protection in the muni-cipality and to help both the residents and the municipal authorities.

In Krakow, specialized staff will be appoin-ted to intensify activities related to the provision of assistance to those interested in applying for subsidized energy-saving projects. Support for EcoAdvisors will be provided by high-class specialists operating within a Competence Cen-tre established at the Marshal's Office of the Malopolska Region. The project also envisages postgraduate studies dedicated to EcoAdvisors and inter-regional exchange of experience in the field of air protection with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Bulgaria and Romania.



Województwo MałopolskieMiasto KrakówGmina AndrychówMiasto BochniaGmina BolesławGmina BrzeszczeGmina Bukowina TatrzańskaGmina Bystra-SidzinaGmina ChełmiecGmina CzernichówGmina DobczyceMiasto GorliceGmina Kamionka WielkaGmina LiszkiGmina LubieńGmina Łapsze NiżneGmina MiechówGmina NawojowaGmina NiepołomiceMiasto Nowy SączMiasto Nowy TargGmina Nowy TargGmina OświęcimGmina Poronin

Gmina Rabka-ZdrójGmina SkawinaGmina SłomnikiGmina Stary SączGmina StryszawaGmina SułoszowaGmina Świątniki GórneMiasto TarnówGmina WadowiceGmina WieliczkaGmina WieprzGmina ZabierzówGmina ZakopaneGmina ZielonkiPrzedsiębiorstwo Oszczędzania Energii ESCOKrakowski Alarm SmogowyKrajowa Agencja Poszanowania EnergiiInstytut VITO NV z BelgiiSłowacki Instytut HydrometeorologicznyMinisterstwo Środowiska Republiki Czeskiej

list of project partners


Expected effects

› The expected results of the project include: accelerated implemen-tation of the actions set out in the air protection programme for the Malopolska Region, equipping municipalities with knowledge, tools and high-class specialists in the field of air protection, increased awareness of the region's inhabitants on, inter alia, the dangers of air pollution as well as a network of cooperation and exchange of experience at local, regional and international levels.

The project has been carried out from 1 October 2015; its completion is planned for 31 December 2023.

image 3. Map / source: •projekt life

the life project malopolska region in a healthy climate



implementation of the legislation in the Member States, and insufficient dissemina-tion of information about, and promotion of, policy goals. It is appropriate to provide a follow-up to the programme established by Regulation (ec) No 614/2007 of the Europe-an Parliament and of the Council and adopt a new regulation. Therefore, this Regulation should establish a dedicated funding Pro-gramme for the Environment and Climate Action (the "life Programme"). In order for Union funding to achieve substantial impact, close synergies and complementarity should be developed between the life Programme and other Union funding programmes.

4 Environmental assets are unevenly distrib-uted across the Union, but their benefits concern, and are felt by, the Union as a whole. The Union's obligation to preserve those assets calls for the consistent application of the principles of solidarity and responsibil-ity sharing, which require that some Union environmental and climate problems be better addressed at regional or local level. Since 1992, life programmes have played an essential role for better solidarity and responsibility sharing in preserving the

1 Union environmental and climate policy and legislation have delivered substantial im-provements to the state of the environment. However, major environmental and climate challenges remain which, if left unaddressed, will have significant consequences for the Union.

2 Tackling those environmental and climate challenges should, due to their scale and complexity, be funded primarily through the Union's major funding programmes. In its Communication of 29 June 2011 entitled

"A Budget for Europe 2020", recognising the climate change challenge, the Commission stated that it intends to increase the climate-related proportion of the Union budget to at least 20 % with contributions from different policies. This Regulation should contribute to the achievement of that goal.

3 Those Union funding programmes cannot address all specific needs relating to the environment and climate action. For the environment and for climate action, specific approaches are required to deal with uneven integration of their objectives into Member States' practices, uneven and inadequate

Questio IurisREGULATION (EU) No 1293/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 December 2013 on the establishment of a Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 614/2007


common good of the Union's environment and climate. The life Programme should continue playing that role.

5 Given its characteristics and size, the life Programme cannot solve all environmental and climate problems. Rather, its objective should be to act as a catalyst for changes in policy development and implementation by providing and disseminating solutions and best practices to achieve environmental and climate goals, and by promoting innovative environmental and climate change tech-nologies. In that endeavour, the life Pro-gramme should support the implementation of the General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 "Living well, within the limits of our planet" as established by Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council ("7th Environment Action Programme").

6 This Regulation lays down a financial en-velope of eur 3 456,655 million in current prices, which amounts to 0,318 % of the total amount of commitment appropria-tions referred to in Council Regulation (eu, Euratom) No 1311/2013 (6), for the entire duration of the life Programme which is to constitute the prime reference amount, within the meaning of Point 17 of the In-terinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (7), for the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budgetary procedure.

7 (…)8 (…)

9 For environmental and climate action-related investments within the Union to be effective, some activities need to be implemented outside its borders. Those investments may not always be financed under the Union's external action financial instruments. Interventions in countries not directly participating in the life Programme, and participation of legal persons based in those countries in activities financed under the life Programme should exceptionally be possible, provided specific conditions set out in this Regulation are met.

10 This Regulation should also provide a frame-work for cooperation with and for providing support to relevant international organisa-tions with a view to responding to environ-mental and climate policy needs that do not fall within the scope of external action financial instruments, such as certain studies.

11 Environmental and climate requirements should be integrated into the Union's poli-cies and activities. The life Programme should therefore be complementary to other Union funding programmes, including the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund , the Cohesion Fund , the European Agriculture Guarantee Fund , the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, and Horizon 2020 - The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation ("Horizon 2020").

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The Commission and Member States should ensure such complementarity at all levels. At Union level, complementarity should be en-sured by establishing structured cooperation between the LIFE Programme and the shared-

-management Union funding programmes in the Common Strategic Framework, established by Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) No 1303/2013 ("Common Provisions Regulation"), in particular in order to promote funding of activities that complement integrated projects or support the use of solu-tions, methods and approaches developed under the LIFE Programme. The LIFE Programme sho-uld also encourage the uptake of the results of environmental and climate-related research and innovation of Horizon 2020. Within this context it should offer co-financing opportunities for projects with clear environmental and climate benefits in order to ensure synergies between the LIFE Programme and Horizon 2020. Coor-dination is required to prevent double funding. The Commission should take steps to prevent overlap and additional administrative burden on project beneficiaries arising from reporting obligations from different financial instruments. To ensure clarity and the practical feasibility of integrated projects under the LIFE Programme, potential arrangements for cooperation should be laid down at an early stage. Member States

should envisage referring to such arrangements in their Partnership Agreements to ensure that advantages of integrated projects can be taken into account during the drawing-up of opera-tional or rural development programmes.

12–49 (…)

Source:& http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN


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English Closer to Brussels, no 18 Climate Changes

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