At the end of September 2024, the Ministry of Climate and Environment organized an event summarizing the Environment, Energy, and Climate Change Programme, implemented as part of the 3rd edition of the Norway and EEA Grants. As in previous editions, the Ministry was the Programme Operator in cooperation with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW). The Programme was the largest of programmes, not only in Poland but in all of Europe.

This international event brought together representatives of Donor States, Programme Partners, the Financial Mechanism Office in Brussels, Programme Operators from other EU member states, Polish NGOs, beneficiaries of the projects implemented under the Programme, the National Focal Point for the Norway and EEA Grants, and NFOŚiGW.

Opening Speeches

On behalf of Krzysztof Bolesta, State Secretary at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Piotr Bogusz, Deputy Director of the Department of European Funds, opened the conference. He expressed hope that the presented information and discussions would inspire participants to continue efforts in climate adaptation, environmental protection, ecosystem preservation, and energy efficiency improvement.

His Excellency Øystein Bø, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, emphasized the fruitful collaboration between all parties involved over the recent years. He outlined Norway’s priorities for the coming years and encouraged participation in consultations on the Blue Book, a document that outlines investment directions for the new edition of the Norway and EEA Grants.

His Excellency Friðrik Jónsson, Ambassador of Iceland to Poland, also expressed satisfaction with the productive cooperation. Iceland’s priority remains energy security and geothermal energy, aiming to protect the climate and advance green energy development through these efforts.

Kjetil Lund, Director General of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), expressed his sympathy for those affected by the floods in southern Poland, noting that climate change, leading to extreme weather events, is impacting many countries, including Norway. He stressed that further climate adaptation should be a future challenge. Mr Lund also mentioned his visit to a Warsaw elementary school, which underwent a transformation as part of the EEA-funded thermomodernization projects. He highlighted the project’s outcomes, such as improved energy efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, lower energy bills, and noise reduction. More about the effects of thermomodernization of school buildings in our Programme you can find in our website.

Dorota Zawadzka-Stępniak, President of the NFOŚiGW, emphasized the alignment of the NFOŚiGW’s mission with the actions implemented in the Programme. She discussed the financial contributions made by NFOŚiGW and the challenges faced during the outgoing financial perspective. She congratulated the Ministry on the excellent collaboration and thanked the Programme Partners and particularly acknowledging the dedication and motivation of those working on the Program at NFOŚiGW.

Summary of the EEA Climate Program Results

During the event, discussions were held with invited guests on the conclusions and experiences from the Programme’s implementation. The benefits gained by cities and local communities through the projects were highlighted, and the need for continued efforts to raise ecological awareness was underscored.

The success of pilot projects and their continuation was also emphasized. One of the Programme’s goals was to prepare for extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly frequent. Recent floods affected towns where Programme projects were implemented, and beneficiaries reported that many solutions worked effectively in this extreme test, though some investments were destroyed due to the power of the flooding water.

Experiences from the end of the financial perspective through the eyes of the Programme Partners

The Norway and EEA Grants were implemented in close cooperation with partners from Norway and Iceland, which, alongside Liechtenstein, are the Donor States. The Climate Programme was carried out in partnership with the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA), Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), and the Icelandic National Energy Authority. Representatives of these institutions, including Anne Marie Mo Ravik (NEA), Michael Steinfeld (NVE), and Baldur Pétursson (OS), discussed the effects of partnerships established during the projects, the achieved substantive results, the impact on local communities, and insights for the future edition of the Grants. The Donors particularly emphasized that the green solutions implemented should be scaled up and spread in the future, bringing the best outcomes for local communities.

Cities as centers of green transformation

Given the dynamic climate changes, cities are playing an increasingly important role in the adaptation process. By 2050, 68% of the world’s population is projected to live in cities, making them particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, yet also giving them the potential to lead green transformation efforts. Urban areas offer space to implement innovative solutions in sustainable development, air quality improvement, water resource protection, and the promotion of renewable energy sources.

The Programme's support enabled the realization of numerous projects that have improved the quality of life for residents while shaping cities into more climate-resilient and sustainable places. Beneficiaries showed how these projects contribute to the green transformation of cities.

Dr. Monika Szewczyk from the UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Environment Information Centre presented one of the two projects implemented in the Programme, the "From Trees to Cities: Urban Greenery Knowledge Lab" project, which stood out for its well-thought-out educational activities.

Ilona Gosk, Managing Director of the Sendzimir Foundation, discussed the "Urban River Valley Ecosystems: The Potential of Ecosystem Services in the Face of Anthropogenic Climate Change" project, which is crucial given the increasing challenges related to floods and droughts.

Dr. Leszek Trząski from the Silesian Botanical Garden presented the "Mikołów for Climate" project, which focuses on blue-green infrastructure investments in the city.

Anna Zawadka, Secretary of the City and Municipality of Sztum, highlighted the "Sztum Circular Economy" project, which significantly shifted the residents' approach to the circular economy.

Damian Obrusznik, Acting Director of the Municipal Education Management Board, presented the project "Increasing energy production from renewable sources and improving energy efficiency in school buildings in the Strzelce Opolskie municipality." The success of this project is evident from the fact that residents, especially from smaller urban centers, felt a sense of unity with the implemented activities, and their comments prominently featured the narrative "our Norway Grants."

Education, Innovation, Society

For this panel discussion, we invited beneficiaries who implemented projects under the Programme, focusing on broad educational and innovative initiatives with a real impact on local communities. These projects not only raised environmental awareness but also introduced innovative approaches contributing to sustainable development.

The expert panel included:

• Karolina Maliszewska, President of the Sendzimir Foundation (projects: “Between Drought and Flooding: Blue-Green Infrastructure in the Leśna Municipality”, “Climate-Friendly School: A Model Educational Center for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the City”, and “Urban Ecosystems of River Valleys: The Potential of Ecosystem Services in the Face of Anthropogenic Climate Change”),
• Agata Skomar, Climate Change Coordinator, Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (project “Climate in Metropolitan Schools”),
• Tomasz Bońdos, Director of the Energy Management Team, Bydgoszcz City Hall, (project “Thermal Modernization of the VII Secondary School in Bydgoszcz”),
• Przemysław Prałat, Public Aid Specialist at Fortum Power and Heat Polska (project “Construction of a Heat Pump as a New Source of Energy for the District Heating Network in Wrocław”).

The experts shared their experiences and insights, including ways to convince local communities, particularly those skeptical about pro-environmental actions, and how to dispel myths related to the huge costs of combating climate change.

In the “Climate-Friendly School” project, where an educational pathway with green and blue infrastructure elements was built at a primary school in Wawer, the key to success was engaging both the student and local communities in nearly all activities at every stage of the project. This included tasks such as identifying locations for small infrastructure elements and co-designing solutions. You can see how they did it – link to the project report.

In the thermal modernization project of the VII Secondary School in Bydgoszcz, cooperation with Norwegian schools was crucial – the replication of both investment solutions (school building) and educational approaches. As a result, a school of the future was created – the most modern school building in Poland, connected to a public building management system based on artificial intelligence, equipped with automated and digital monitoring and billing systems for city utilities. This system allows users to open or close windows via a phone app and check pollution levels, among other functions. These actions have helped to significantly reduce utility costs. Similar solutions are planned for other school buildings in Bydgoszcz, which are currently awaiting thermal modernization.

The representative of the “Climate in Metropolitan Schools” project, involving over 40 schools, each of which could build a chosen element of green-blue infrastructure on its premises (see more), emphasized that the key to engaging the community and effective education is involving students and teachers in project activities, participating in competitions, effective communication through social media targeting diverse groups, and using interesting and practical educational tools (e.g. Climate on 5! handbook). Due to the immense interest from local communities and educational authorities, the project will continue.

WROMPA – the Wrocław heat pump, is one of the more innovative projects implemented under the EEA Climate Programme. The investment involved building a 12.5 MW heat pump that extracts ecological heat from municipal wastewater and rainwater. Although the topic may seem less conducive to educational activities, the beneficiary focused on numerous direct actions, such as open days, family picnics, and engaging various community groups through initiatives like a mural competition.

Summary  

In the summarize of the event, among the many inspiring solutions applied in the projects, Piotr Bogusz particularly emphasized the importance of collaboration between educational institutions and NGOs in preparing and implementing projects. In the context of the currently planned new perspective of Norway and EEA Grants, he committed to carefully analyzing the conclusions and experiences discussed during the conference. He encouraged to familiarise with the offer of the grants available at MKIŚ and NFOŚiGW, such as European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment 2021-2027 (FEniKS), European Funds for Eastern Poland 2021-2027 (FEPW), or Polish RRP, which, depending on the instrument, incorporate many solutions drawn from the EEA Climate Programme.

The conference provided an opportunity to showcase completed projects, share experiences and insights from their implementation, including informal discussions. Piotr Bogusz encouraged attendees to use the knowledge available on the website, establish and continue collaborations, and exchange knowledge and experiences. He concluded by thanking everyone for participating in the conference.

Explore the projects discussed during the event

• Environmental Information Center UNEP/GRID – Warsaw 

- From Tree to City: Urban Greenery Knowledge Lab project

• Sendzimir Foundation, projects:

- Urban Ecosystems of River Valleys: The Potential of Ecosystem Services in the Face of Anthropogenic Climate Change project

– Ecosystem Services - Between Drought and Flooding: Blue-Green Infrastructure in the Leśna Municipality – Green Leśna project

- Climate-Friendly School: A Model Educational Center for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the City project

• Mikołów Municipality:

- MIKOŁÓW for the Climate – Implementing Blue-Green Infrastructure Investments in the City project

• City and Municipality of Sztum:

- Sztum Circular Economy project

• Strzelce Opolskie Municipality:

- Increasing Energy Production from Renewable Sources and Improving Energy Efficiency in School Buildings in Strzelce Opolskie Municipality project – link

• Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area:

- Climate in Metropolitan Schools project

• Fortum Power and Heat Polska:

- Construction of a Heat Pump as a New Energy Source for the District Heating Network in Wrocław project – WROMPA

Short reports from our guests

•  Norwegian Embassy in Poland – link to FB profile
• Icelandic Embassy in Warsaw – link to FB profile
• Sendzimir Foundation – link to FB profile of the Foundation
• City and Municipality of Sztum – link to project partner's profile of the Association of Polish Municipalities Euroregion Baltic
• Strzelce Opolskie Municipality – link to FB profile of Strzelce Opolskie Municipality
• Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area – link to the project's FB profile

We invite you to watch the conference broadcast (in the Materials section below).

The project presentations and photos from the event can be found on the Polish version of the Climate Programme website.

 Editorial

• Climate Programme projects database - link to our projects implemented under the Environment, Energy and Climate Change Programme 
• Find our project in your area – the polish website of the Climate Programme
• See the effects of projects from the thermal modernization call – the polish website of the Climate Programme
• See the EEA and Norway Grants data and results portal
• Learn about projects in the international Media library of the EEA and Norway Grants