On Thursday morning, February 24, the Russian Federation launched an armed attack on Ukrainian territory. This is an unprecedented situation in post-war European history, which requires us to take unequivocal and bold political and economic action,” reads the Climate Coalition’s appeal to the Polish government to stop importing coal, gas and oil from Russia. Below is the full text of the appeal and the list of organizations that have signed on.

Climate Coalition’s appeal to the Polish government to stop importing coal, gas and oil from Russia

On Thursday morning, February 24, the Russian Federation launched an armed attack on Ukrainian territory. This is an unprecedented situation in post-war European history that requires us to take unequivocal and bold political and economic action.

Therefore, we appeal to the Polish authorities to stop, as soon as possible and safe, the import of energy resources: coal, gas and oil from Russia. In 2020 alone, Poland imported more than 16.5 million tons of Russian oil, nearly 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas and nearly 9.5 million tons of coal. In recent years, Poland has bought more than 730 billion zlotys worth of oil and coal from Russia, while the value of the gas contract to supply it to Poland is not public. This money directly or indirectly supports Vladimir Putin’s regime.

The aggression against Ukraine is a signal that the Polish economy must firmly accelerate the decarbonization process. Continuing to stick with fossil fuels means de facto lack of energy sovereignty for our country. . There is an urgent need to build our own independent and renewable energy sources. Upgrading outdated power grids should also become a priority. There is an urgent need to provide alternative, sustainable sources of heat for residents and to scale up investments in energy efficiency and in-house energy sources in business and industry. The priority must be changes in transportation, which can no longer rely on internal combustion engines. Electrification of public and freight transportation is the bare minimum we need to start with.

In the face of the attack on Ukraine, these actions cannot be spread out many years ahead, as assumed, but must begin in the coming days, weeks and months. Huge resources and a lot of investment will be needed. This will not succeed without the support of the European Union. Poland must therefore end its conflicts with the EU and use money from the EU Reconstruction Fund to transform energy and transportation. This is, at the moment, the government’s duty to Poles, a moral imperative and the real support that Ukraine needs. There is no agreement from us to continue supporting Russian oil companies. We need to build an economy based on European solidarity and alternative energy. Therefore, we appeal to the government to take all possible measures to stop importing coal, gas and oil from the Russian Federation.

Climate Coalition

Organizations supporting the Climate Coalition’s appeal:

We also encourage other organizations to support the appeal. Contact: u.stefanowicz@koalicjaklimatyczna.org and d.oledzki@koalicjaklimatyczna.org

Comments from female experts:

“For many years, Russia has treated its energy resources as a tool of blackmail and influence-building. It sold them more cheaply to selected countries, and restricted access to others, or raised their price. The money it raised in this way was used to fund the Russian military to a huge extent. What we need most today is solidarity with Ukraine and its people. We are aware that stopping Russian aggression, defending Ukraine’s independence is an essential part of Poland’s security. Therefore, we can no longer pretend that by buying energy resources from Russia we are not supporting Putin’s thuggish policies. Therefore, we must stop doing so. While supporting Ukraine and fighting Putin’s regime, we must remember that we cannot stop our efforts to stop the climate catastrophe. Let’s stop buying energy resources from Russia. Carrying out an energy transition will be the best and most effective way to achieve both of these goals.” – he says prof. Zbigniew Karaczun, Climate Coalition expert.

“This should be a turning point in thinking about what fuels we use in our country and where we get them from. We are living the illusion of energy independence, which is simply falling apart at the moment. As long as we keep generating electricity, powering cars and heating homes with fossil fuels, we will remain more or less dependent on Russia or other non-democratic countries, with no say in the destination of the money flowing out of Poland. Until we develop smart management and storage of energy generated from renewable sources, there will be no question of energy sovereignty. The first urgent challenge is to improve energy efficiency and conservation. Further development of energy grid connections within the European Union and mutual provision of each other’s needs by member states can be an additional safeguard.” – he points out Urszula Stefanowicz of the Polish Ecological Club of Mazovia District, an expert of the Climate Coalition.

“A wise man does not feed an aggressive neighbor. Therefore, the end of importing Russian coal, gas and oil is necessary. It is in Poland’s vital interest to bet on energy efficiency in homes, industry and other industries. The safest fuel is the one we won’t consume.” – he stresses Andrzej Guła, leader of the Polish Smog Alarm.

Update: March 3, 2022.