Katowice – city of clean air!

The consistent policy of Katowice authorities aimed at raising the quality of life in the city, and in particular at reducing pollution and improving air quality, is already beginning to bring tangible effects. Against the background of other Polish agglomerations assessed according to this criterion by “Europolis” of Schumann Foundation, Katowice took the second place, scoring only 1 point less than the winner Lublin.

In the case of Katowice, the source of this success is a large-scale campaign for the replacement of the most harmful to air quality coal-fired boilers used in households with alternative, ecological heating systems for apartments and houses.

The “Green Budget” and the “Clean Air” program in Katowice have proven to be effective tools which, through an attractive system of subsidizing the replacement of heating installations, have allowed the replacement of coal-fired boilers with modern and environmentally friendly devices for more than 1,250 households.

In 2020 alone, the city of Katowice has allocated PLN 10 million to improve air quality. Such a high position of Katowice in the “Europolis” ranking is of particular importance considering the fact that the Silesian Province is regularly listed among the most polluted regions, not only in Poland but also in Europe.

Among the cities assessed, Katowice stands out not only for having one of the highest expenditures on improving air quality, but also for its involvement in all activities indirectly reducing the level of pollution. The city has developed a programme for the development of renewable energy sources, there are subsidies for the purchase and installation of RES micro-installations and there are social campaigns for clean air.

The full text of the report and the Europolis ranking are available at: www.europolis.schuman.pl/raport The full text of the report and the Europolis ranking are available at: www.europolis.schuman.pl/raport