Professor Jan Szyszko – forester, scientist, three-time Minister of Environment and Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland – has passed away at the age of 75.

“The main theme of this year's fair - Sustainable waste management – for people, health and the environment - is perfectly in line with the measures we have implemented in order to improve environmental quality, including waste management” - said Minister Henryk Kowalczyk, opening the POL-ECO SYSTEM Trade Fair in Poznań on 9 October.

A perspective of a climate-neutral economy, a circular economy and preparations for the COP25 Climate Change Conference were the main topics of the meeting held by environment and climate ministers from the European Union (EU) member states. Sławomir Mazurek, Deputy Minister of Environment, participated in the meeting held on 4 October 2019 in Luxembourg.

The discussions held during the two-day National Economic Summit in Siedlce focused primarily on environmental issues regarding improving the quality of air, investments in renewable energy sources or national energy security. The Minister of Environment Henryk Kowalczyk attended the event with Deputy Ministers Piotr Dziadzio and Sławomir Mazurek.

The challenges faced by the European Union and its Member States, including air quality and climate neutrality, were the main topics of the conversation between the Minister of Environment Henryk Kowalczyk and the Chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament, Pascal Canfin. The meeting was held on the 27 September 2019 at the Ministry of Environment.

Young Friends, dear Students and Citizens! Thank you very much for your participation in Youth Climate Strike.

Today, when the great “Clean up the World” project was started all over the world, the President and the First Lady, as well as students, scouts and foresters cleaned up a fragment of the Biała Primeval Forest together. The nationwide Cleaning Together campaign, initiated by President Andrzej Duda, was also attended by Minister of Environment Henryk Kowalczyk and Vice-Minister of Environment Małgorzata Golińska.

“The first year of the Clean Air programme is now a history. It is the first programme with such an immense scope in the history of Poland geared towards the improvement of air quality, which provides subsidies for thermal modernisation of single-family homes, as well as replacement of old heating sources,” said Henryk Kowalczyk, Minister of Environment, during a press conference. The meeting with the media, which took place on 19 September 2019 in Bytom, was also attended by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the President of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management Piotr Woźny.

The two-day 19th Congress of Rural Municipalities in Ossa near Biała Rawska was attended by Minister of Environment Henryk Kowalczyk, who was its honorary guest. The main issues covered during the congress included air quality and changes in the waste management system. The panellists also debated water and sewage management, as well as repatriation of Poles from the former Soviet republics.

“The issue of agricultural waste, including plastics, is becoming more and more pressing. Our hazardous waste removal programme will make the lives of residents of rural areas significantly easier,” said Minister of Environment Henryk Kowalczyk during a press conference held on 17 September 2019 in Warsaw.