In the age of climate change

Entrepreneurs face new challenges in the face of the climate crisis. How to practically meet environmental goals? How to compensate and minimize the impact of business on nature? Experts sought answers to these questions during the first day of the European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

The European Union's climate policy, set out in the European Green Deal, is ambitious. Under its terms, Europe is to become the first continent to be able to remove as much CO2 emissions as it produces by 2050..

Everyone will contribute to the realization of this goal, both entrepreneurs and individuals, as Anna Trudzik, Director of the Prosumer Energy Department, National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, rightly noted during the panel “Enterprise in the Era of Climate Change,” whose partner was the WFOŚiGW in Katowice.

- With all this energy transformation, we must not forget about individuals, because all this transformation, in fact, thanks to them - comments Anna Trudzik.

It is no coincidence that the topic of Europe's climate neutrality was raised at the European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Doing business in accordance with the principles of sustainability and environmental responsibility is more difficult than focusing solely on maximizing profits, which is a challenge for many entrepreneurs. Hence the need for a broad discussion of available solutions.

More and more companies and institutions are recognizing that climate neutrality is an irreversible process that must be tackled. Those who want to pass themselves off as socially responsible must invest not only in human resource development and technology, but also in environmental protection.

- Are local governments in the eye of the cyclone? It seems to me that they are - says Damian Kołakowski, Deputy Director of the Department of Infrastructure and Environment, Upper Silesia-Zagłębowska Metropolis, adding, ‘It is enough that we hear such slogans as ’15-minute city,” “green infrastructure” or the aforementioned “closed-loop economy,” and we know that this is exactly what is happening to a large extent in local government.

An important step on the road to carbon neutrality is offsetting emissions, which involves, among other things, investing in renewable energy or energy efficiency. Therefore, the panel also discussed decarbonization of energy systems, industrial transformation and crisis management as necessary steps to achieve climate neutrality.

Jan Bondaruk, Deputy Director for Environmental Engineering, Central Mining Institute, rightly noted that in Silesia this process has been going on for many years. - Before there was a transformation and this term placed within the Green Deal strategy, we have had transformations here in the region for 30 years. The institute, as well as other entities associated with the value chain sector of the mining sector, were already going through this process - he says.

It is worth remembering that the transition is not an instant process that can be accomplished in a few months. To achieve Europe's climate neutrality in 2050, work needs to start today. - Much earlier, we started taking care of the part of the environment related to gases and the low-carbon economy. And this was the first stage, which is behind us, and ahead of us is the stage of greening the heating industry - a process from his perspective explains Krzysztof Szalinski, President of the Management Board, Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Gliwice Sp. z o.o

- As Environmental Protection Funds, we are a unique system of financing widely understood pro-environmental activities in environmental protection. For 30 years we have been allocating funds for these tasks, for these priorities, which are set by the Environmental Protection Law - says Mateusz Pindel, President of the Board, WFOŚiGW in Katowice.

- We see that all industries are interested in these changes, interested in how we can help them. We also explain what the situation is when it comes to state aid. But we have to realize that these subsidies will never be as high as they are for an ordinary beneficiary - adds Robert Gajda - Deputy President, National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.