Lewiatan Confederation expects COP24 to be successful in the implementation of the Paris Agreement

2018-12-06

In the light of the conclusions of the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we see an urgent need to mobilise all the entities involved in the process of global climate negotiations, including the Polish economic circles, to effectively fight for the improvement of the Earth's climate.

The Paris Agreement enables building trust between the countries participating in the global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It also sets out the most important task for the delegates for COP24 - the adoption of the rules of implementation of the agreement of 2015. The Katowice Rulebook will determine how all the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will present, implement and verify their commitments. We support the Polish Presidency and all parties to the Convention on their way to this goal.

Solidarity
In accordance with the spirit of the Paris Agreement and in the light of the IPCC's report, we expect equally strong determination to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from all the parties to the Convention. Thanks to the co-operation of all the governments and social partners, it is possible to work out rules that will allow to combine the global protection of the climate with the policy of economic growth.

Agreement
In view of the soon end of the term of the Kyoto Protocol, it is necessary to set a framework for the global climate policy. Stable legal regulations and consistent public development strategies are essential for entrepreneurs to support the community in its economic growth. These are the conditions that will be established by the adoption and application of the Paris Agreement implementation package by all the parties to the Convention.

Cohesion
Today, we are in the process of public consultations of the state's new energy policy in Poland. We expect it to enable the achievement of the sustainable development goals and to support the economic growth. It can be achieved through its compliance with the global and European energy and climate policy. In particular, the national strategy should support the implementation of the EU energy and climate goals - the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, the achievement of a 32% share of energy from RES, and 32.5% reduction of energy intensity of the economy by 2030.

Renewable energy sources
The modernisation of the Polish energy sector and the diversification of energy sources is indispensable. It is the right time for bold decisions concerning the development of renewable energy sources. We should develop wind energy at sea, the potential of which is estimated to 10 GW, as well as solar power plants, which 4 GW of power may support both the stability and the desirable diversification of the energy system. It is also important to develop other renewable sources, including supporting of innovation in the sphere of new energy generation and storage technologies.

Fair transformation
The process of energy transformation in Poland should take place in a fair and balanced way. It must meet with social acceptance ensured through the consistent co-operation of the government, social partners and civil society organisations. Common understanding of the purpose of the modernisation will be an impulse for the development of new business models and innovations, especially in the regions the development of which has been based on traditional energy so far.

Air quality
We will strive to improve the air quality, which is an important problem in Poland and in many other regions of the world. The modernisation of the heat engineering sector, increasing the efficiency of buildings and the share of renewable sources supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The transformation of the heat engineering, including its electrification and consistent elimination of low emissions, will accelerate the economic growth and promote the effective improvement of the health of the society.

Zero-emission transport
Polish entrepreneurs want to participate in the global development of electromobility and zero-emission transport. This branch of the economy is a real proof that the protection of climate and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and innovation.

***
The protection of the climate and the energy transformation create many social, technological and economic challenges for us. However, we notice numerous opportunities for the development of new business models resulting from the digitisation, the improvement of the energy efficiency the storage of energy, or the proliferation of electromobility. The recent decades in Europe proved that it is possible to combine the economic growth with the reduction of the consumption of energy and the emissions of greenhouse gases.

We, Polish employers, appeal to all parties to the Convention to adopt the rules of implementation of the Paris Agreement, which is the key platform for the international co-operation in counteracting the climate change. Simultaneously, we declare our full support for the implementation of the European commitments by 2020 and 2030.