• Energy Research

Growing environmental and climate problems are forcing the search for effective solutions to economic activity, including agriculture. The popularization of relevant production practices and techniques is of great importance in this regard. The direction of European agriculture is of particular importance for solving environmental and climate problems. For years, strategies or sustainable development programs have been implemented, which, despite initiating the desired direction of changes, are still insufficient in terms of perceived needs. In December 2019, the European Commission issued a communication on the European Green Deal strategy, which was intended to launch further international action to achieve ambitious climate and environmental targets. The aim of the paper is to present the main issues related to the implementation of the European Green Deal strategy, including agriculture, and to outline the challenges facing it. The study used a review of literature and legal acts. The results of the study indicated the appropriateness of seeking further economic solutions consistent with the European Green Deal strategy. The goals included in the European Green Deal are very ambitious and will require a complex, multi-threaded approach to agricultural policy and a change in the attitude of farmers, i.e., greater consideration of non-production aspects of their activity, in particular in the field of environmental protection. At the same time, the European Green Deal should be assessed in a much broader sense than in terms of environmental requirements. The holistic nature of this document makes it a step towards building a new economy that takes into account the noneconomic consequences of the actions taken.

W 2022 roku mija trzydzieści lat od uchwalenia Ramowej konwencji Narodów Zjednoczonych w sprawie zmiany klimatu. Jest to okres wystarczająco długi, aby ocenić skuteczność tej polityki. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest ustalenie dotychczasowych osiągnięć polityki klimatycznej i określenie na tej podstawie najbardziej prawdopodobnych kierunków dalszych działań w zakresie redukcji emisji gazów cieplarnianych. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono emisji pochodzenia rolniczego, co wynika ze znaczącego udziału tego sektora w globalnej emisji oraz ze specyficznej struktury emisji, tj. znaczącej roli sektora w emisji metanu i podtlenku azotu. W pracy wykorzystano analizę statystyczną na bazie danych Banku Światowego. Jej uzupełnieniem była analiza krytyczna literatury dotyczącej polityki klimatycznej. Przedstawione wyniki pokazują, że dotychczasowa polityka nie przynosi oczekiwanych efektów. Jednocześnie są przykłady (Unii Europejskiej), gdzie widoczna jest redukcja emisji gazów cieplarnianych. W efekcie udział wspólnotowej emisji w emisji globalnej ma tendencję malejącą. Dotyczy to zarówno emisji całkowitej, jak i pochodzenia rolniczego, tj. metanu oraz podtlenku azotu. Na podstawie przedstawionych danych i tendencji zachodzących w świecie najbardziej prawdopodobne wydaje się utrzymanie dotychczasowego kierunku zmian, tj. niska dbałość o klimat w skali globalnej oraz coraz większe restrykcje emisyjne w wybranych regionach świata. Takie rozwiązanie będzie jednak nieskuteczne, ponieważ zmiana klimatu to problem globalny i w tej skali musi być rozwiązany. In 2022, thirty years have passed since the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This period is long enough to evaluate the effectiveness of this policy. The aim of this paper is to determine the achievements of climate policy so far and the most likely directions for further actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Particular attention was paid to agricultural emissions, which results from the significant share of agriculture in global emissions and the specific structure of emissions, i.e., the significant role of the sector in methane and nitrous oxide emissions. The paper uses statistical analysis based on the World Bank data. It was supplemented by a critical analysis of the literature on climate policy. The presented results show that the current policy does not bring the expected results. There are, however, some examples (the European Union), where the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is visible. As a result, the share of Community emissions in global emissions tends to decrease. This applies to both total and agricultural emissions, i.e., methane and nitrous oxide. Based on the presented data and global trends, it seems most likely that the current direction of changes will be continued, i.e., poor care for climate on a global scale and increasing emission restrictions in selected regions of the world. Nevertheless, this solution will be ineffective, since climate change is a global problem and must be solved globally.

The concept of sustainable development is slowly starting to be deployed to the various sectors of the economy. One is energy, which plays a key role in the modern development. The concept of sustainable energy is widely used and intuitively understood, but it is difficult to discern the full definition of this phenomenon. The purpose of this article is to define the concept of "sustainable energy". It takes into account both the issue of permanence, as well as the inclusion of social and environmental needs for economic development. Moreover, in general characterized the main areas of application of this concept, the basic tool for the study was to analyze available, domestic and foreign literature.

Cel pracyCelem artykułu jest wskazanie zakresu i roli najważniejszych czynników środowiskowych we współczesnym rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczym.Materiał i metodyDo osiągnięcia celu wykorzystano analizę krytyczną literatury, a wnioski sformułowano w oparciu o metodę indukcji.WynikiRyzyko wystąpienia globalnego kryzysu wywołanego degradacją środowiska przyrodniczego jest coraz większe. Istnieją rozwiązania polityczne, które umożliwiają wejście na ścieżkę rozwoju pozwalającą na redukcję ryzyka destrukcji środowiska przyrodniczego, jednak ich zastosowanie napotyka opór społeczny.WnioskiDostosowanie się społeczeństw do wymogów przyrody wymaga zmiany przyzwyczajeń oraz jest kosztowne. To powoduje, że skłonność do podjęcia wysiłku jest niewielka. Jednocześnie nowe podejście do gospodarki, uwzględniające potrzeby społeczno-gospodarcze i środowiskowe, może być silnym bodźcem rozwojowym dla państw, które w odpowiednim momencie wejdą na tę ścieżkę. Dotyczy to również Polski.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the modern world. In the long-term perspective, mankind must achieve climate neutrality in order not to lead to a breakdown in the development of civilization. This requires significant mitigation efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over time, when the climate change is more affecting human life, adaptation measures are also needed. Some countries, including members states of the European Union, are making efforts to achieve the goal of climate neutrality. It involves a significant financial and organizational effort. The aim of the article is to indicate changes in agriculture and rural areas that may take place in the perspective of 2030 as a result of the climate change and the application of mitigating and adaptation policies. The article was written on the basis of the available literature.

The European Green Deal strategy, prepared in 2019, involves a number of challenges for European agriculture. These challenges are broadly linked to a need for agriculture to undertake actions in order to improve environmental and climate protection, which will require changes in agricultural practices and the currently observed industrialization processes of agriculture that are destabilizing ecosystems and climate. In view of the diversity of agriculture and its impacts on the environment, it is important to identify the challenges faced by the EU Member States. The aim of this paper is to identify the main environmental and climate challenges that agriculture in Poland will have to face due to the current European Green Deal strategy and its objectives, taking into account the organizational changes in this sector so far and the existing forms of environmental protection in rural areas. The paper is based on empirical data from the Farm Structure Survey conducted by Statistics Poland in 2005, 2007 and 2016, data on greenhouse gas emissions of agricultural origin gathered by the National Centre for Emissions Management (KOBiZE), data from the European Commission, the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation—State Research Institute concerning the delimitation of the Natura 2000 areas in Poland and the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics—National Research Institute on three national variants of High Nature Value Farmland areas delimited for the needs of the European Commission, as well as data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the delimitation of the less favoured areas with high natural value. In addition, a literature review was conducted indicating the links between agriculture, the environment and climate. The results of the study illustrate the state of Polish agriculture and the changes in this sector in the context of environmental and climate challenges. The results also identify the most difficult areas that will require practical solutions in the future to implement the European Green Deal strategy in Poland. The findings will provide an important basis for policy makers in terms of effective support of agriculture and for the scientific community with regard to agricultural research, which should be particularly developed in order to be able to adapt the agricultural sector to new challenges.