Anti-Smog Resolution for Krakow defended in court

The Provincial Administrative Court in Krakow dismissed the filed complaints against the resolution of the Sejmik of the Malopolska Region of 15 January 2016 on the introduction of restrictions on the operation of fuel combustion installations in the municipality of Krakow. The Court in Cracow confirmed that the resolution was adopted lawfully while maintaining the required elements and procedure.

Adoption by the Sejmik of the Malopolska Region of the anti-smog resolution for Krakow introducing the total ban on the use of solid fuels in boilers, stoves and fireplaces starting from 1 September 2019 is the answer to the demands of the Krakow residents for radical measures to improve air quality. The voices of the residents were backed up by the Mayor of the City of Krakow and unanimously supported by the Krakow City Council being in favor of the prepared solution. In the public consultation, 4 600 people (96.5% of those taking part in the consultations) explicitly supported the adoption of a total ban on the use of solid fuels in Krakow.

The Management Board of the Malopolska Region consistently strived to adopt a solution for Krakow that would be adequate to the scale of air pollution levels and the topographical and meteorological conditions characteristic to that city, which would have a greater effect on the accumulation of pollutants. Despite the unfavorable judgments of the Court and the NSA against the previous resolution of 2013, the anti-smog resolution of 2015 inspired by the Malopolska Region and conducted by Tadeusz Arkita enabled the preparation and adoption of a resolution aimed at improving air quality in Krakow.

The anti-smog resolution for Krakow has proved successful after the first few years, as it translates into a significant amount of liquidated coal furnaces. In this respect Krakow is the leader – over 10 thousand boilers liquidated in the last 3 years in the Malopolska Region, as many as 7 800 in Krakow itself. This means a reduction in PM10 emissions by about 277 tons and PM2.5 by about 275 tons and carcinogenic (a) pyrene by 159 kg. In Krakow, there are still approx. 15 000 coal furnaces to be liquidated in Krakow.

The adoption of the anti-smog resolution for Krakow was necessary in order to improve air quality in the shortest possible time. The actions undertaken so far to subsidize the replacement of ovens and coal-fired boilers, despite the involvement of large public funds, were ineffective as they did not limit the emergence of new sources of emissions. The adoption of the resolution for Krakow has also inspired other regions of Poland to take a serious interest in air quality and take steps to reduce pollution levels.

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, the Malopolska Days of Health Prevention started on the Main Market Square in Krakow. Participants of the event at the anti-smog stand of the Environment Department of the Marshal’s Office of the Malopolska Region were able to take advantage of free spirometry (examining lung capacity) in at a specialist mobile point.

During the event, a total of about 60 free examinations were performed. Participants of the meeting could also learn more about the impact of air quality on health, as well as information on the possibilities of financing the replacement of heating systems with the green. The youngest participants of the event took part in a competition on air quality and waste prevention in which the prize was an ecological bag made of waste banners of the Malopolska Region and a booklet “Attention! Alert! Smogdragon!” issued by the Krakow Smog Alert.

The first meeting presenting the assumptions of the update of the Air Quality Plan for the Malopolska Region took place in Krakow (14.09) for municipalities from the Krakow Metropolitan Area and in Tarnów (15.09) for the municipalities of the Subregion of Tarnów. Representatives of municipal authorities, organizations, enterprises and residents learned about the current air quality in the Malopolska Region, the planned major corrective actions and how they will be implemented. The main responsibilities concerning the implementation of the measures aimed at reducing air emissions rest with local authorities. During the discussion, the participants presented their suggestions and postulates on the implementation of the Program and stressed the importance of citizens’ awareness of the impact of air pollution on their own health.

Comments and postulates regarding the update of the Air Quality Plan for the Malopolska Region can be sent by 30 September to powietrze@umwm.pl.

Other meetings will be held in Krakow (19.09), Nowy Sącz (20.09), Chrzanów (21.09) and Nowy Targ (22.09).

Presentation of the assumptions of the Air Quality Plan KOM 14/09/2016

Presentation of the assumptions of the Tarnów Air Quality Plan 15/09/2016

The Krakow Smog Alert executes a call for educational projects in the field of the Air Quality Plan within the implementation of the LIFE project “Implementation of the Air Quality Plan for the Malopolska Region – Malopolska in a healthy atmosphere”.

Non-governmental organizations or informal groups working in partnership with non-governmental organizations can receive a grant of PLN 3 000 to PLN 15 000 for activities aimed at raising the awareness of local communities in the field of clean air in the Malopolska or Silesian Regions. No own financial contribution is required.

The deadline for submission of applications is 3 October 2016 at 15:00 pm. Applications must be completed on the forms available at www.krakowskialarmsmogowy.pl/naszepowietrze.

The purpose of this program is:

  1. Raising the awareness among members of local communities in the Malopolska and / or Silesian Regions with respect to air pollution and measures aimed at improving air quality, with particular emphasis on low emissions;
  2. Raising the level of involvement of local communities in the Malopolska and / or Silesian Regions in actions aimed at improving air quality, with particular emphasis on low emissions;
  3. Development of social movements and initiatives aimed at improving air quality in the Malopolska and / or Silesian Regions.

Program Description

Regulations and application form

The Marshal’s Office of the Malopolska Region invites representatives of interested municipalities, residents and organizations to participate in consultations during which they will present the assumptions of the prepared update of the Air Quality Plan for the Malopolska Region.

All of the interested parties are invited to participate actively in the development of the air quality improvement strategy in the Malopolska Region through participation in the meetings.

Consultation meetings will be organized according to the following schedule:

  • September 14 at 10:00 am

Location: Krakow, 6 Św. Filipa, aula of the Railway Society of Culture,

Meeting for the municipalities of the Krakow Metropolitan Area (the counties of Miechów, Proszowice, Bochnia, Myślenice, Wieliczka, Krakow – except for the Krakow Metropolis).

  • September 15 at 10:00 am

Location: Tarnów, 38 Narutowicza, room 11 (ground floor) in the County Office,

Meeting for the municipalities of the Tarnów Subregion (Tarnów Town, the counties of Tarnów, Dąbrowa, Brzesko).

  • September 19 at 11:00 am

Location: Krakow, 6 Św. Filipa, aula of the Railway Society of Culture,

Meeting for the municipalities of the Krakow Metropolis (the City of Krakow, Biskupice, Czernichów, Igołomia-Wawrzeńczyce, Kocmyrzów-Luborzyca, Liszki, Michałowice, Mogilany, Niepołomice, Skawina, Świątniki Górne, Wieliczka, Wielka Wieś, Zabierzów, Zielonki).

  • September 20 at 10:00 am

Location: Nowy Sącz, 33 Jagiellońska, session hall in the County Office,

Meeting for the municipalities of the Sącz Subregion (the city of Nowy Sącz, Nowy Sącz, Gorlice, Limanowa counties).

  • September 21 at 10:00 am

Location: Chrzanów, 3 Focha, audiovisual room of the District Center for Continuing Education,

Meeting for the municipalities of the Western Subregion of the Malopolska Region (Chrzanów, Olkusz, Oświęcim, Wadowice counties).

  • September 22 at 9:00 am

Location: Nowy Targ, 2 Jana III Sobieskiego, conference room of the Euroregion Association “Tatra”.

Meeting for the municipalities of the Podhale Subregion (Tatra, Nowy Targ, Sucha Beskidzka counties).

The Voivodship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Krakow announced the call for applications under the JAWOR Priority Program Improvement of energy efficiency – thermo-modernization of detached houses. The purpose of the Program is to reduce the demand for heat as a result of heating building partitions. The tasks covered are: insulation of exterior walls of buildings, roof insulation, insulation of ceilings over the last storey, insulation of basement ceilings, replacement of windows, exterior doors. It is required to reduce the demand for heat by at least 25%.

The program is addressed to individuals. They can get a preferential loan of up to 90% of the building insulation cost, with an interest rate of 2% per annum and will being subject to a remission of up to 20%. The minimum loan amount is PLN 20 000 and the maximum amounts to PLN 100 000.

Detailed regulations of the JAWOR program

Recent public opinion polls show that Malopolska people negatively perceive air quality in their region. The greatest awareness of the problem of air pollution occurs in Krakow, as many as 81% of respondents think that air quality is very bad or rather bad. Despite the fact that in villages and smaller towns the overall quality of air quality is better, as much as 63% of Malopolska people are convinced that air is more polluted during the heating season and assesses its quality in those months as very bad or rather bad. A similar percentage (69%) believes that air quality may, in the future, negatively influence their health of the health of their relatives.

Malopolska people show very high support for anti-smog regulations. Almost 90% of the region’s population supports the introduction of the obligation to replace the most polluting boilers, with the government subsidizing the costs of such replacements. Equally high is the percentage of the respondents supporting the introduction of coal quality standards or tougher penalties for waste incineration. There is also high support for limiting traffic in larger cities and forbidding the entry of cars with old diesel engines to the centers of large cities – in Krakow it was 63% and 70%.

The research also reveals a big problem with access to information on the current air quality in places outside Krakow. As many as 61% feel ill-informed in this regard. On the other hand, about three-quarters of Malopolska Region’s population expect easier access to this type of information. Preferably, Malopolska people would like information about air quality to reach them via the Internet, electronic signboards in urban spaces, municipal offices, television, radio and the press.

The research was conducted in August 2016 on a representative sample of 1000 inhabitants of the region. The research was carried out by the CEM Institute for Market Research and Public Opinion, commissioned by the Krakow Smog Alert Association, as part of the integrated project “Implementation of the Air Quality Plan in the Malopolska Region – Malopolska in a healthy atmosphere”, co-funded under the European Union LIFE Program.

Report on the assessment of the awareness of the inhabitants of Malopolska