Highlights 

• We successfully fought for a postponement of the entry into force of ETS2, giving Poland additional time to invest in protecting our citizens from excessive transition costs. 
• During the Polish Presidency, we negotiated 30% additional free emission allowances for those heating plants that invest in decarbonisation.
• We have established the Energy Support Fund, from which PLN 70 billion is allocated to the development of energy networks and renewable energy sources. 
• We have established almost 140 new nature reserves. 
• We have submitted the Białowieża Forest Management Plan to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
• In 2025 alone, we allocated PLN 300 million for the disposal of hazardous waste. 
• We have launched a deposit system to recover more raw materials and reduce environmental pollution. 
• We have stabilised timber prices for domestic processors and restricted exports of unprocessed timber from Polish forests to Asia, which increases the availability of raw materials for domestic producers. Thanks to our efforts, a ban on the burning of high-quality timber in commercial power generation is in force since September 2025. 

We are creating a favourable climate. Over the past two years, we have passed 50 laws and implemented numerous projects supporting local government units, but above all, local residents

– states Minister of Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska. 

We are effectively protecting Polish interests 
Thanks to the efforts of the Polish government, the entry into force of the ETS2 system adopted during the time of the L&J (Law and Justice) government has been postponed. This is a great success for Poland and the result of effective diplomacy by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. Climate transformation must be carried out in a responsible manner, taking into account the real possibilities of society and the economy. Thanks to the postponement, Poland has gained an additional year to invest in buildings and transport, which will protect hundreds of thousands of Polish families from excessive costs. 

During the Polish Presidency, the Ministry of Climate and Environment also negotiated an additional 30% of free emission allowances for those heating plants that are investing in decarbonisation. As a result, Polish heating plants will not have to bear the costs of investing in clean technologies and high emission costs at the same time. 

Poland also consistently defends the interests of strategic sectors, including the defence industry, and strives to ensure that the EU's climate targets are ambitious but achievable and safe for citizens. An element of pragmatism has been introduced into the EU negotiations, thanks to which the further development of climate policy will better respond to the real challenges and capabilities of Member States. 

We are protecting society and the environment 
Thanks to legislative changes and the allocation of funds from the State Budget and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, PLN 300 million has been spent on eliminating illegal hazardous waste collection sites that pose a threat to human health and life. 

We are cleaning up Poland from illegal, hazardous waste dumps. Currently, 25 municipalities have received funding to remove and dispose them so that they will never again threaten our lives and health

- the Minister of Climate and Environment pointed out. 

This is the first time that such large funds have been allocated to support local governments in removing illegal landfills that pose a danger to people. 

Thanks to PLN 100 million from the National Recovery Plan (NRP), an inventory of multi-area degraded sites has also begun. The Ministry of Climate and Environment has also led to the removal of an illegal landfill in Tuplice. After 10 years of accumulation, 20,000 tonnes of waste that had been brought to Poland from abroad has disappeared. The German side removed it at its own expense. 

We have launched a deposit system to remove plastic bottles and metal cans from our forests, lakes and rivers. This system will double the amount of packaging collected, which means tens of millions of items will be reused instead of ending up on landfills or in forests, as is currently the case. 

Clean Air – new and safe 
For 22 months, beneficiaries of the Clean Air programme received over PLN 10 billion. This is more than during the previous five years of the programme's operation. New rules, introduced in spring 2025, protect against high bills, which were often the result of improperly carried out thermal modernisation. The government has secured funding for the Clean Air programme – over PLN 44 billion from European funds and the National Recovery Plan will finance payments and enable the programme to be implemented in the coming months. 

Air quality in Poland is improving. New standards for coal fuels, briquettes and wood pellets are in force, limiting pollutant emissions and protecting health. 

We support development of the Polish economy 
The Ministry of Climate and Environment's priority is to develop energy storage in Poland. Thanks to this, energy generated from renewable sources at low market prices will not be wasted. In the sixth edition of the ‘My Electricity’ (Mój Prąd) programme, which was a breakthrough in terms of the number of applications, subsidies also covered energy storage facilities. 

When it comes to home energy storage, we started from scratch. We already have 75,000 such installations in the system, and by the end of the term, there will be at least 200,000 home energy storage facilities operating in Polish homes

– states Paulina Hennig-Kloska. 

The Ministry of Climate and Environment has launched the largest investment programme in the history of the energy sector – the Energy Support Fund. It consists of PLN 70 billion in low-interest loans for the development and modernisation of power grids and the creation of new renewable energy sources. 

Support is also allocated to large and large-scale investments in energy storage. One of them is the energy storage facility in Żarnowiec, with a power of 263 MW and a capacity of 900 MWh. It will stabilise the energy system by supporting the integration of renewable energy sources and balancing the operation of offshore wind farms (OWF). 

We know that nature is our future 

We are protecting the most valuable areas of our country, precious forests, marshes and peat bogs. We have already created almost 140 nature reserves. That is three times as many as the L&J did during two terms of office. We are securing the Białowieża Forest to permanently protect our natural heritage from saws and harvesters

- the Minister of Climate and Environment pointed out. 

Within two years, the Ministry of the Environment stopped logging in the most naturally valuable forests. The delimitation of the community forests that will surround 13 Polish agglomerations has already been completed. The changes are being introduced in a social dialogue involving foresters, social scientists, local authorities, the timber industry and entrepreneurs. 

Thanks to responsible forestry policy, prices on the timber market have stabilised. The actions of the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the State Forests have led to a reduction in timber exports from Polish forests outside the European Union, especially to China. As a result, more raw material remains in Poland and is processed by domestic producers. 

The Ministry of Climate and Environment has prepared a bill to establish the Lower Oder Valley National Park. Despite the President's veto, there are plans to provide greater protection for this area by expanding the Drawa National Park and preparing a new bill to establish a park in Międzyodrze (the marshy area between the West and East Oder). 

On 5 December 2025, the Białowieża Forest Management Plan was sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It organises key conservation measures, takes into account UNESCO recommendations, the needs of local communities and conditions related to national defence, setting out the directions for the management of this primeval forest for the next 25 years.