Rural Resources (including Forestry)
in the Local Development of Low
Carbon Economy: A Case Study
of Poland
Paweł Wiśniewski
Abstract
Due to the significant share in total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sensitivity to
climate change, agriculture and rural areas
should be an important area of activity in the
local development of a low carbon economy.
However, this is rarely the case in Poland and
other European countries. The paper evaluates
the role and importance of rural resources
(including forestry) for the local development
of a low carbon economy. Based on a SWOT
analysis the strengths and weaknesses, as well
as the opportunities and threats in the two key
elements such as maintenance or increase of
the ability to absorb CO 2 and reduction of
GHG emissions from agricultural and forest
lands are shown. Specific attention was paid to
the potential of agriculture and rural areas in
terms of the possible use of their resources in
order to increase the C sequestration in
biomass and soil and reduce GHG emissions,
as well as the use of agricultural, agroforestry
and agro-food processing with biomass for
renewable energy development, including the
production of biogas and biofuels. The information obtained from the SWOT analysis
shows that this potential is based on considerable resources of agricultural and forest land
in Poland. The goal of local governments and
agricultural producers should be to identify
and eliminate identified weaknesses and
potential risks while implementing the relevant principles of a low carbon economy and
low carbon development directions of rural
areas.
Keywords
Low carbon development Á Local low carbon
economy plans ÁRural resources ÁRural areas Á
Sustainable agriculture Á SWOT analysis Á
Poland
1 Introduction
One of the most important economic and environmental challenges of our time, in the light of
climate change, is the transition to an environmentally sustainable economy that allows
reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In
pursuing the aims of the EU climate policy, as
well as striving to meet new challenges, Poland
(like other countries) must be prepared for the
necessity to move to a low carbon economy. This
has been recognized in the draft of the National
Programme for Development of Low Carbon
Economy, adopted by the Ministry of Economy
(2015). Unfortunately, work on the final adoption
of this programme was halted in 2016 and its
P. Wiśniewski (&)
Department of Landscape Research and
Environmental Management, University of Gdansk,
Bażyńskiego 4, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland
e-mail: pawel.wisniewski@ug.edu.pl
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hülsmann and M. Jampani (eds.), A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57530-4_10
147
in the Local Development of Low
Carbon Economy: A Case Study
of Poland
Paweł Wiśniewski
Abstract
Due to the significant share in total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sensitivity to
climate change, agriculture and rural areas
should be an important area of activity in the
local development of a low carbon economy.
However, this is rarely the case in Poland and
other European countries. The paper evaluates
the role and importance of rural resources
(including forestry) for the local development
of a low carbon economy. Based on a SWOT
analysis the strengths and weaknesses, as well
as the opportunities and threats in the two key
elements such as maintenance or increase of
the ability to absorb CO 2 and reduction of
GHG emissions from agricultural and forest
lands are shown. Specific attention was paid to
the potential of agriculture and rural areas in
terms of the possible use of their resources in
order to increase the C sequestration in
biomass and soil and reduce GHG emissions,
as well as the use of agricultural, agroforestry
and agro-food processing with biomass for
renewable energy development, including the
production of biogas and biofuels. The information obtained from the SWOT analysis
shows that this potential is based on considerable resources of agricultural and forest land
in Poland. The goal of local governments and
agricultural producers should be to identify
and eliminate identified weaknesses and
potential risks while implementing the relevant principles of a low carbon economy and
low carbon development directions of rural
areas.
Keywords
Low carbon development Á Local low carbon
economy plans ÁRural resources ÁRural areas Á
Sustainable agriculture Á SWOT analysis Á
Poland
1 Introduction
One of the most important economic and environmental challenges of our time, in the light of
climate change, is the transition to an environmentally sustainable economy that allows
reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In
pursuing the aims of the EU climate policy, as
well as striving to meet new challenges, Poland
(like other countries) must be prepared for the
necessity to move to a low carbon economy. This
has been recognized in the draft of the National
Programme for Development of Low Carbon
Economy, adopted by the Ministry of Economy
(2015). Unfortunately, work on the final adoption
of this programme was halted in 2016 and its
P. Wiśniewski (&)
Department of Landscape Research and
Environmental Management, University of Gdansk,
Bażyńskiego 4, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland
e-mail: pawel.wisniewski@ug.edu.pl
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Hülsmann and M. Jampani (eds.), A Nexus Approach for Sustainable Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57530-4_10
147