The government of Poland has reached an agreement with unions in the country on the closure of the coal mines. Extraction in those mines will be phased out step by step until 2049, it has been agreed.
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Poland still generates most of its energy from coal. Partly because of this dependence on the polluting fuel for power plants, the Eastern European country was the only member of the European Union to refuse to promise to be climate neutral by 2050.
The ruling PiS party kept in mind that hesitation also the large unions, which have a lot of influence and power in Poland. In recent days, many Poles, especially young people, called at demonstrations for more far-reaching measures by the government to combat climate change.
The step to close the coal mines comes after days of negotiations between the government and unions.
In addition to the climate policy from Brussels, the corona crisis also contributed to the closure. The coal mines, which are mostly located in the south of the Silesia region, have been loss-making for years and are therefore expensive to maintain.
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