The issue of Carbon dioxide emission in Poland

Global warming in the last century has become an established fact and though no single explanation of this cause of affairs has been offered, extensive efforts are made world-wide to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide emissions seem to vastly contribute to the greenhouse effect. Because of the scale of emissions of various pollutants, the level of complication and difficulty in their reduction, protection of atmospheric air, the biosphere and humans require the major commitment of the communities within the legal framework created by the state. Air protection is one of the major tasks in an environmental policy, requiring organisational structure as well as legal and economic instruments. In Poland air pollution is also caused by old industry, where energy and material consumption is huge. In the last decade the emission levels have decreased and air has become cleaner. Effective air protection require the measures to be taken at source, by applying the flue gas treatment methods using physico-chemical and chemical processes. It is unlikely that energy demand should decrease or that fossil fuels should be replaced. However, efforts should be made to limit CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, not only because it is responsible for climate warming. Emissions of anthropogenous CO2 involves the burning of fossil fuels: coal, oil and its derivatives and natural gas. Our civilisation now cannot do without those fuels, not only for generation of electricity but also in the chenucal sector processing oil and coal. The power generation sector is responsible for the largest emissions of CO2 in Poland (50%), whilst in developed countries this proportion is only 35%. Renewable sources of energy are not able to meet the growing energy demand. An alternative solution is to resort to nuclear power to conserve fossil fuels and radically limit CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.