Coal mining has far-reaching effects on local water resources. Coal mining requires large amounts of water. Mining activities have dropped the water level of Lake Ostrowskie by almost two meters in the Kuyavia–Pomerania and the lakes in the Powidz Landscape Park. According to Poznań's University of Agriculture, the water drainage in the Kleczew brown coal mining areas has formed craters in the area. Statistics from Eurostat shows that Poland accounts for 30% of the European Union’s annual consumption of coal.
As of year end 2014 Poland had achieved an 11.45% share of renewable energy use as a percentage of overall energy usage. The overall 2014 share breaks down as 13.95% of the heating and cooling sector, 12.40% of the electricity sector and 5.67% of the transport sector.
Biomass and waste
As of 2015 Biomass and waste was the largest source of renewable energy in Poland providing an estimated 8.9% of total primary energy supply in that year and an estimated 6.1% of electricity generation. Solid biomass is the most important source by volume, providing fuel for heat and power plants or consumed directly for industrial or household heat requirements. Biogasses are also used in heat and power plants as well whilst waste is mainly used as a fuel in industry. In 2014 0.7 Mtoe of biofuels were used in transport, 81% as biodiesel and 19% as biogasoline, making up 5% of the total energy consumption in the transport sector in 2014.
Wind power is estimated to have provided 6.6% of total electricity generation in 2015. The Polish NREAP plan is targeting 6,700 MW of wind power by 2020 whilst EWEA's 2009 forecast suggests a higher wind capacity of 10–12 GW is possible. The Polish government had plans to reach 2,000 MW in wind power capacity and a 2.3% share of wind generation in domestic energy consumption by 2010. By the end of 2010, the capacity stood at 1,107 MW. If Poland had the same wind power density as Denmark, there would have been 23 GW of wind power by the end of 2008.
Hydroelectric power
In 2014 there were 2,364 MW installed capacity of hydroelectric power as well as 1,406 MW pumped storage capacity. In 2015 hydroelectricity generated approximately 1.1% of total electricity in Poland.
Solar power expanded slowly reaching 4.2 MW by 2013. After 2013 installed capacity began to rise more quickly reaching 486.5 MW by 2018.
Air quality
The PM10 warning limit is 300 μg/m3 in Poland, whereas it is 80 in Paris.
Global warming
Poland opposed the 2009 EU proposal to support developing countries in applying measures against global warming, at a cost of 5-7 billion € during the years 2010–2012.
