Cleaning up the atmosphere. The ECO RING at TOGETAIR Climate Summit

15 universities, 16 voivodeship marshals, over 40 content partners including research institutes, NGOs, ministries and international institutions as well as the media all have expressed their support for the idea of the TOGETAIR 2021 Climate Summit (21-23 April). The Summit will be prec eded by the publication of the first Polish Multimedia Climate Report.

3 days of debates on climate protection will take place on April 21, 22 and 23. It will be a 100% digital online event in a safe hybrid formula broadcast live from the main TV studio in Warsaw and from Brussels.

During the three days more than 16 topical debates will be held, discussing environmental issues such as the consequences of climate change, fight against smog, modernization of the heating sector, energy transition, developm ent of hydrogen technology and the future of wind energy as well as low carbon transport, electromobility and shifting the economy to a circular model based on recycling and reusing raw materials.

TOGETAIR free for everyone

This year's edition of the TOGETAIR Climate Summit is first of all a huge scale of reach through FREE streaming available on media channels such as: WP.pl, Money.pl, PolsatNews.pl, Polskiera dio24.pl, Interia.pl, ZielonaInteria.pl, Energetyka24, 300Gospodarka and on Polska Press 540 regional portals i.e. Polska The Times, naszemiasto.pl, strefabiznesu.pl as well as on TOGETAIR’s Facebook page. Thanks to the wide coverage the TOGETAIR message will reach over 6 million Poles interested in ecology.

Confronting ECO RING

The ambition of TOGETAIR is to keep viewers' attention by providing them with attractive and highly informative content. The ECO RING will be a new thing this year. In a short (20 min.) form, representatives of the most opposing ecological views will confront each other "one on one".

The audience will benefit from the fact that the entire Climate Summit will be available after the event on the togetair.eu website, the TOGETAIR YouTube channel and in a dedicated section on money.pl portal. The experts we have invited to participate in the TOGETAIR Climate Summit will share their knowledge, experience and I have no doubt insp ire many valuable changes for our audience. We are proud to become a space for this exchange of ideas and knowledge. TOGETAIR is more than a congress it is a place to learn about opportunities, listen to people and gain ecological knowledge in the most c onvenient moment as the content of the Summit is available all year long, comments Agata Śmieja, President of the Clean Air Foundation.

International reach

TOGETAIR is a project combining the report and debate of a nationwide and international scale, aimed at highlighting Polish activities, both at the level of national administration and those presenting the Polish standpoint on ecology and reduction of CO₂ emissions in the European Union, explains Artur Beck, Producer and Organiser of the TOGETAIR Climate Summit, President of the Positive Ideas Foundation.

This year's edition of the Summit will also be covered by the Brussels based EurActiv, which deals with European politics and provides an in depth analysis of EU policies in the fields such as energy and the environment. Consequently, the voice of Polish ecology will be heard in Europe and in the world.

A panel on the Carbon Boundary Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will be held in cooperation with our international partner Business & Science Poland (BSP) an association of employers, which connects the experience of Polish companies and scientific institutes with the European Union’s agenda.

As Business & Science Poland is constantly present in Brussels, we are able to effectively identify trends and ideas that influence EU legislation. Today it is difficult to find an area of EU activity that is not subordinated or at least connected to the implementation of the European Green Deal and the goal of a climate neutr al economy. In order to achieve these goals it is crucial that EU regulations take into account the realistic possibilities of Polish enterprises and ensure competitive balance in the common market, says Bartek Czyczerski, Director General of Business & Science Poland in Brussels.

The Climate Summit and the Climate Report are important tools for BSP and similar entities participating in consultations on EU regulations. The exchange of insights between central and local administration, business, scientific community and opinion makers is an irreplaceable source of knowledge about Poland's commitment to achieving climate targets. Knowledge and experience gathered in this way allow us to build a bridge and connect the debate in Poland with negotiations condu cted simultaneously in Brussels, Czyczerski adds.

Meanwhile, the topics of just transition, rational future of the Polish energy and mining industries and zero emission energy systems will be commented from the perspective of representatives of international institutions, such as:

• Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
• Kamil Wyszkowski, Representativ e, President of the Board at Global Compact Network Poland
• Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General, Hydrogen Europe
• Giles Dickson, CEO, Wind Europe
• Maciej Golubiewski, EU Commissioner's Cabinet Head
• Tomasz Chmal, Chairman of the Advisory Council BSP

Through the Climate Summit not only do we educate, but also ensure that Poland's negotiating position on the international arena gets reinforced. We know that Poland does a lot in the field of ecology and has a chance to become a leader, but we need to make sure that the European countries understand our historical and geopolitical conditions. Hence the decision to have the Climate Report translated into three languages (English, German and French) and to distribute it among the MEPs, Śmieja adds.

Emphasis on change

Climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge facing humanity. I am delighted that we will participate for the second time in the search for solutions accelerating the green transition. We believe that choosing energy is choosing a lifestyle. Today, energy is international in scope, speaks different languages and is a driving force for everyone. We motivate to change the way we produce and consume it to move towards a greener and more sustainable future. It is your energy and your choice, says Lech Kaniuk, co-founder and CEO of SunRoof.

As the organizers assure, TOGETAIR is a broader dimension of talks about ecology, where the best experts, leaders and companies inform, explain and show the directions of changes that should be undertaken in the field of ecology.

The most important aspect of the Summit is pressuring for real changes, as well as educating and getting through with the insight that choosing air neutral actions, green, renewable sources of energy, in the context of heating, electricity sources or electromobility, will positively influence the health of all Poles.

In Małopolska we are already observing an improvement in air quality the actions we have begun as the national pioneer are bringing results. Krakow was the first city in Poland to introduce a total ban on solid fuels in 2019. The obligation to replace non classified coal fired boilers will cover the entire Małopolska region from 2023. Anti smog resolutions have become a model for other regions. Since last year Małopolska has had a new Air Protection Programme in force, whose main objective is to accelerate the fight against smog. We are also working with 5 municipali ties on local anti smog resolutions, which call for elimination of coal in households by 2030. The IBRIS survey from last year confirms that over 89% of the voivodeship residents know that the anti smog resolution has been introduced in Małopolska, and over 81% assess the existing anti smog regulations as good or very good.

The results of implementing the abovementioned resolutions include, among others, more than 50,000 replaced coal furnaces and reduction of particulate matter emissions into the air by about 2,300 tons from 2015 to 2019. It is confirmed by scientific research a summary of the work of experts from the European Clean Air Centre has just been published. They observed the greatest air improvement in Poland in Krakow, banned from using solid fuels for over a year. The effectiveness of eliminating sources of particulate matter emission in the fight against smog was also confirmed in studies by scientists from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. It should be emphasised, ho wever, that only decisive steps will really contribute to the improvement of air quality, and it should be remembered that smog contributes to a similar number of deaths among Poles as the Covid 19 virus caused in the course of the year over 45,000, says Tomasz Urynowicz, Deputy Marshal of the Małopolska Voivodship.

Earth, fire, air, water, human

The TOGETAIR Climate Summit is 3 days (more than 24 hours) of speeches, debates and discussions by distinguished experts who will analyze the effects of clima te change in five thematic areas: earth, fire, air, water and human, all in more than 15 panels. Press boxes will also be held, during which journalists will comment on and summarize the conclusions that the panelists reach in discussion.

On the first day (21 April) the conversations will focus on topics such as prospects for development of electromobility in Poland, fight against smog, carbon correction mechanism at the EU borders (CBAM), green energy, modern technologies and zero emission houses, as well as rational water management in the context of local desertification and water wastage.

Thursday (22 April) will be devoted to: just transition, rational future of the Polish energy and mining industries, zero emission energy systems, green transport in the context of the ecological future of railroads, roads and shipping; transformation of system heat (CHP plants, incinerators, biomass) and challenges of the municipal economy will also be discussed.

On Friday (23 April) panelists will focus on areas such as the Polish New Deal and the National Recovery Plan, economic growth and improving the health of Poles, green agricultural development, ESG and green bonds, the digital transformation of the country, and how resident friendly cities and innovative gree n housing should look like.

The Climate Summit fits perfectly with trends emerging in environmentally friendly housing, especially reflected in so called eco trends. They result from two main factors firstly, people want to live and work in environment ally friendly houses, and secondly, European and consequently also national legislators are implementing regulations which require developers and contractors to apply higher standards in this respect and which are in line with the circular economy, where m aterials remain in the economy as long as possible and the generation of waste is minimized.

This trend is also supported by developers' actions raising the standards of energy efficiency of investments, water management and waste management during con struction or operation of residential buildings, use of prefabricated elements, rubble recycling, but also factors that create a competitive advantage eco friendly solutions in common spaces, development of green areas or introduction of anti smog soluti ons allowing to maintain clean air in residential premises regardless of the season and external conditions, comments Iwona Sroka, Member of the Management Board of Murapol SA.

The Climate Summit is undoubtedly a neutral space for cross party discussion for several communities. It will bring together key stakeholders in the enviromental area to discuss the future of climate policy and how to enhance our efforts to protect the environment.