Over 60 representatives of cities and communes met on May 19 and 20 this year in Jadwisin during the seminar "Inclusive energy transformation and climate protection in cities and municipalities", organized by the Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités". Participants had the opportunity to listen to experts, incl. from the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, and a debate on planning the further development of cities and communes in the context of new energy, geopolitical and social challenges, as well as take part in good practice sessions, conducted in small groups.

During the opening both Artur Borkowski – the Mayer of Serock and Leszek Drogosz - Head of the Board of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network „Energie Cités” (PNEC) and Head of Infrastructure Office, Capital City of Warsaw, emphasized the importance of climate actions, despite new difficulties emerging. Anna Jaskuła - Executive Director of PNEC, started the first part of the seminar, which concerned sustainable city management in the context of new energy and social challenges.

Paweł Różycki from the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Department of Strategy and Planning for Climate Transformation was our first speaker. In his presentation on the climate and energy policy of Poland in the context of new energy, geopolitical and social challenges, he presented the current challenges of the energy transformation and described the initial assumptions for the update of PEP2040 - first of all the introduction of the fourth pillar concerning energy sovereignty. Anna Czyżewska from Department of Climate Change Adaptation of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management followed with a brief presentation of the available sources of financing adaptation measures. She also reminded the participants of the new call for applications under the priority program 1.4. Adaptation to climate change and protection of waters against pollution, announced on May 9.

The next two presentations were given by the representatives of the Association. Iwona Korohoda presented the Covenant of Mayors initiative for climate and energy and the support of European institutions for local governments - leaders of the energy transformation in Poland. As the Covenant signatories undertake not only to take action to mitigate climate change and adapt to its inevitable consequences, but also to take action to reduce energy poverty, she also briefly presented EPAH - the EU's leading initiative in the field of fighting energy poverty.

Patrycja Płonka presented integrated urban planning as a tool to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the city, using the experience of the MULTIPLY project, which is implemented together with the Association in such cities as: Bydgoszcz, Sztum, Piastów, Grodzisk Mazowiecki, and Minsk Mazowiecki, Ostrołęka and Siemianowice Śląskie. In the room, you could also see the posters developed as part of the project, which presented good practices in the above-mentioned cities.

Presentations were followed by a debate, in which participated: Anna Czyżewska - National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Zuzanna Sasiak - Polish Green Network, Przemysław Major - Mayor of Cieszyn, Ryszard Pabian - Mayor of Jasło, Artur Borkowski - Mayor of Serock and Marcin Augustyniak - plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Wałbrzych. The discussion on planning the further development of cities and communes in the context of new energy, geopolitical and social challenges was moderated by Leszek Drogosz, director of the Infrastructure Office of the City of Warsaw. City representatives emphasized that the transformation poses an even greater challenge in the face of soaring energy prices. Anna Czyżewska presented financial instruments that can help local governments, but their representatives emphasized that in the current situation, despite the will, ideas and mobilization of human resources, the financial barrier may turn out to be decisive, because even in the case of using NFOŚiGW funding, the funds needed for own contribution for investments may not fit in the budgets of local governments. Taking local pro-climate measures is hampered not only by financial uncertainty, but also due to legal changes, and moreover, local governments turn out to be uncompetitive on the labor and investment markets. In the light of these formal and financial considerations, Zuzanna Sasiak reminded local governments from the perspective of an environmental organization that they are also expected to act in the social aspect, and despite the fact that she notices significant progress in this area, she still considers raising the awareness of residents and activating them to be extremely important.

The afternoon block was started by Tomasz Skoczylas, director of the Urban Innovation Center - Urban Lab, who, based on the Rzeszów example, showed how to create a space for citizens to engage in cooperation with city authorities. He emphasized that each city or commune has its own potential in this area, which should be addressed, and the key issue in creating space for residents is to talk with them and enable them to express their opinions and define their needs. City representatives were particularly interested in the inclusion of Urban Lab in Rzeszów in the structures of the City Hall and interdepartmental cooperation. Then, Tomasz Bońdos from the Bydgoszcz City Hall gave a presentation on a systemic approach to the optimization of energy production and consumption in the city, he talked about the problems and challenges in energy management and the robotization of invoices, which is Bydgoszcz's response to some of these problems. His speech aroused great interest among the audience. The third component of integrated urban planning, next to spatial planning and energy management - sustainable transport - was the topic of the speech by Bartosz Stachowiak from the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the UKSW, who presented the possibilities of using hydrogen in public and private transport.

Then Izabela Kuśnierz from the Association invited the participants to a table session, during which they could take advantage of the experiences of the invited guests. Grzegorz Gałek from PMG Sp. z o.o. continued on the topic of the last presentation, and together with the participants talked about whether electricity or hydrogen is the better way to sustainable transport in the city. With Romuald Meyer from Pomorska Grupa Konsultingowa S.A. the participants had the opportunity to talk about the activities undertaken for sustainable energy management on the example of Mińsk Mazowiecki, Czersk and Kamień Krajewski. Maciej Cygler from KOBiZE/CAKE talked with participants about the energy transformation of local governments, while presenting a handbook for local authorities prepared in October last year as part of the LIFE Climate CAKE PL project. At the table of Piotr Kolasa from the Polowiec i Wspólnicy sp.j. law firm, one could learn more about energy cooperatives, and especially about the legal conditions for their creation in Poland.

At the end of the first day of the seminar, the General Assembly of Members of the Association was held, attended by representatives of member municipalities and cities and others interested in joining.

The second day devoted to counteracting energy poverty and building awareness of residents was started by Patrycja Płonka, who introduced participants to the role of local governments in protecting vulnerable consumers and shaping conscious energy attitudes. She also explained the problem of energy poverty. Then Jakub Sokołowski from the Institute for Structural Research presented the methods of diagnosing the problem of energy poverty in the commune. He emphasized that conducting the survey, which is very costly in terms of time and money, will not result in a true picture of the situation and that when examining this problem, it is better to use other means and sources of information. Anna Fijas from the Association, going from diagnosis to action, presented the tools at the disposal of local governments, such as: EPAH or those developed under the EnPover or EnergyMeasures project, last of which was discussed in more detail during the table session. The last presentation was given by Piotr Sołtysek, who, based on the example of Bielsko-Biała, talked about shaping active civic attitudes and involving residents in the implementation of local climate and energy goals.

After a short coffee break, the participants again chose one of the topics of their interest and talked in smaller groups. Justyna Janosz from the Association presented the EnergyMeasures program implemented in Bielsko-Biała, as a starting point for a conversation about individual energy consultancy addressed to households. Jerzy Tymczyszyn, who is an eco-manager in Raciechowice, talked with participants about his activities aimed at involving residents in the implementation of local climate policy. Eliza Bujalska, the mayor of Mińsk Mazowiecki shared her experiences from the Human Smart City project and presented a common space designed with the participation of citizens. Przemysław Major, the mayor of Cieszyn, talked about social consultations regarding the development of the city, conducted under the slogan "Let's talk about Cieszyn", which included, e.g. diagnostic walks.

The seminar "Inclusive energy transformation and climate protection in cities and municipalities" was an excellent opportunity to expand knowledge in the field of sustainable city management, counteracting energy poverty and activating residents. As Leszek Drogosz said during the opening: “there is a lot of knowledge and energy in this room” and there was, the participants learned not only from experts, but also from each other. New information, examples of successful activities and effective solutions, inspirations and established contacts will surely help local governments to face energy, geopolitical and social challenges. We would like to thank all representatives of local authorities, experts and speakers for their participation in the event and we invite you to check the materials below.

To download them, enter the password that you received in the e-mail sent after the event. Those of you who did not participate in the event and are interested in seeing the presentations, please contact our office: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The following presentations may not be shared or published without the consent of the Association.

Presentations

Day 1

1. Polityka klimatyczno-energetyczna Polski w kontekście nowych wyzwań energetycznych, geopolitycznych i społecznych , Paweł RÓŻYCKI, Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska
2. Finansowanie zadań z zakresu adaptacji do zmian klimatu przez NFOŚiGW , Anna CZYŻEWSKA, NFOŚiGW
3. Porozumienie Burmistrzów i wsparcie instytucji europejskich dla samorządów - liderów transformacji energetycznej w Polsce , Iwona KOROHODA, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
4. Zintegrowane planowanie miejskie jako narzędzie redukcji zużycia energii i emisji gazów cieplarnianych z terenu miasta (projekt MULTIPLY) , Patrycja PŁONKA, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
5. Tworzenie przestrzeni do wykorzystania potencjału obywateli – Rzeszów Smart City , Tomasz SKOCZYLAS, Centrum Innowacji Miejskich - Urban Lab
6. Zarządzanie energią w strukturze rozproszonej miasta problemy i wyzwania , Tomasz BOŃDOS, Urząd Miasta Bydgoszczy
7. Możliwości wykorzystania wodoru w transporcie miejskim (publicznym i prywatnym) , Bartosz STACHOWIAK, Wydz. Ekonomiczno-Społeczny UKSW
8. Zrównoważone zarządzanie energią w Gminie , Romuald MEYER, Pomorska Grupa Konsultingowa S.A.
9. Zrównoważony transport w mieście – elektryczność czy wodór? , Grzegorz GAŁEK, PMG Sp. z o.o.
10. Transformacja energetyczna miast i gmin , Maciej CYGLER, KOBiZE/CAKE
11. Spółdzielnia energetyczna , Piotr KOLASA, Kancelaria Polowiec i Wspólnicy sp. j.

Day 2

1. Rola samorządów lokalnych w ochronie konsumenta wrażliwego oraz kształtowaniu świadomych postaw energetycznych , Patrycja PŁONKA, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
2. Diagnoza problemu ubóstwa energetycznego w gminie , Jakub SOKOŁOWSKI, Instytutut Badań Strukturalnych
3. Od diagnozy do działania – narzędzia, jakimi dysponują samorządy i przykłady dobrych praktyk , Anna FIJAS, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
4. Kształtowanie aktywnych postaw obywatelskich – angażowanie mieszkańców w realizację lokalnych celów klimatyczno-energetycznych , Piotr SOŁTYSEK, Urząd Miejski w Bielsku-Białej
5. Projektowanie wspólnych przestrzeni z udziałem obywateli – Human Smart City , Eliza BUJALSKA, Mińsk Mazowiecki
6. Indywidualne doradztwo energetyczne skierowane dla gospodarstw domowych – program ENERGIA NA MIARĘ , Justyna JANOSZ, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
7. „Pogadajmy o Cieszynie” – konsultacje społeczne dotyczące rozwoju miasta , Przemysław MAJOR, Urząd Miasta Cieszyna
8. Zaangażowanie mieszkańców w realizację lokalnej polityki klimatycznej – działania ekodoradców w województwie małopolskim oraz ich rola w edukacji energetycznej , Jerzy TYMCZYSZYN, Urząd Gminy Raciechowice

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