With the webinar that took place on Monday, 11 March 2024, we ended a 2-part block of online events dedicated to the Social Climate Fund. The first part took place in January and was an introduction to the topic. We presented the context of the EU’s climate policy, an explanation of the Fund’s regulations and the process of work on its design, with particular emphasis on the potential for social participation.
The second webinar, entitled “Low-carbon buildings for all – how to use the Social Climate Fund?” was devoted to one of the areas to which the planned SCF will cover. The new ETS2 system, in response to which the Social Climate Fund appears, will cover emissions generated by buildings, so that users will bear the ultimate costs of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the buildings they use. That is why, during the March event, we talked in more detail about the transformation that needs to take place in Poland in relation to buildings and heating/cooling systems.
The partner in the organization of the webinar was the Renovation Wave Association, i.e. an interdisciplinary expert group dealing with issues related to the energy efficiency of buildings. The Association’s expert presented the topic of building renovation as an example of a long-term action that should be financed under the SCF. In the first place, the expert explained what the ETS2 system introduced by the EU will consist of and how it will translate into costs for consumers. She presented the current situation in terms of the condition and energy consumption of buildings, the postulated scenarios for their renovation and the benefits that the entire society will gain from the comprehensive improvement of the energy efficiency of buildings in Poland. The presentation ended with the topic of possible linking of the sources of financing of these activities, as in addition to SCF, there are also potential resources from the EU funds (including the NRP) and revenues from the ETS and ETS 2 systems.
After the presentation part, there were numerous questions and comments from the webinar participants. We noted the presence of representatives of companies and associations from the construction industry, who commented on the opportunities and risks for the assumed goals. The webinar host, an expert of the Habitat for Humanity Poland foundation, also drew attention to the context of energy poverty related to the condition of residential buildings and the heating sources installed in them. Thus, the event referred in a very comprehensive and professional way to the discussed area and the potential for its development in the Social Climate Plan, which will describe the method of spending funds from the SCF. The event attracted 28 participants, which, given that the topic was new and very specialised, seems a satisfactory number.
Our webinars were one of the first events addressed to citizens to inform them about the upcoming changes, such as the entry into force of the ETS 2 and the related Social Climate Fund. We shall be putting constant work trying to maintain interest in this topic at further stages of planning and implementing this tool in Poland.
