Summary of anti-smog activities in Małopolska in 2021

The Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region summed up the activities of all municipalities and counties in implementing the Air Quality Plan for the Małopolska Region in 2021.

The summary presents information on activities such as elimination of low-efficiency heating devices, thermal modernization of buildings, investment in RES, expansion of bicycle paths. An important element of the summary is also information on the expenses incurred
and achieved environmental effects. The summary is based on annual reports received from municipalities and counties.

Elimination of coal stoves and boilers

In 2021, a total of 13,581 buildings/locations in Małopolska eliminated inefficient solid fuel heat sources, including 22 in Kraków and 13,559 in municipalities away from Kraków. In comparison, a total of 10 207 boilers were eliminated in 2020, of which 68 in Kraków and 10 139 outside Kraków. It means that the rate of replacement of out of class boilers in Małopolska is accelerating; the result achieved in 2021 is 33% higher than last year.

Residents of Małopolska submitted 19,973 applications for the Clean Air Programme in 2021. This is an increase compared to 2020, when 9,152 applications submitted.

1,432 thermal modernisations of residential buildings carried out and 20,180 investments made in renewable energy sources. It should be noted that this is an increase of almost 100% compared to 2020.

Activities of municipalities

Residents are supported by Eco-managers employed by the municipalities. Every year, more and more municipalities are opting for this form of assistance to residents. In 2021, there were a total of 235 Eco-managers in 170 municipalities in Małopolska (compared to 104 in 2020). In addition, 180 municipalities operated service points for the Clean Air Programme. It is also important to note that an increasing number of municipalities are allocating funds from their budgets for air protection. As many as 92 Małopolska municipalities have allocated more than 1% of their own funds to this purpose, and 27 municipalities more than 0.5%.

In 2021, 105 new public transport vehicles with high environmental performance purchased in Małopolska. A total of more than 93 km of new bicycle paths added in Małopolska, and 41 municipalities carried out campaigns promoting the use of sustainable forms of transport.

Improvement of air quality

The improvement in air quality in Krakow and Małopolska is particularly evident during the heating season from October to March. The average concentration of PM10 dust between the 2014-2015 winter season and the 2021-2022 season decreased by 36% in Małopolska, including as much as 49% in Krakow and 28% outside Krakow.

However, there were still exceedances of pollutant concentrations in all areas of the region in 2021, and a continuing decreasing trend in the values of concentrations is evident. The number of days with exceedances also decreased visibly over the last 10 years.