Climate · emissions beyond borders
Poland cut its emissions at home by 18 percent. Abroad, they rose by 23 to 45 percent.
Emissions from Polish consumption are falling, as long as they happen in Poland. The emissions in factories, power plants and fields elsewhere, for goods, food and buildings, are rising. Climate targets don't count them.
- The footprint of Poland is roughly level with official emissions according to the national inventory (via Eurostat): from 0 percent lower to 2 percent higher, depending on the model.
- 33–34 percent of the footprint arises abroad (2022), against 22–25 percent in 2010.
- Official emissions fell by 6 percent between 2010 and 2022; the footprint by 4–8 percent.
- Per person, Poland causes 9.4 tonnes, more than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes (rank 10 of 27, Eurostat 2023). Between 2010 and 2019 the footprint fell by 10 percent, slower than in most EU countries; between 2019 and 2023 it fell by 7 percent, similar to most EU countries.
- Outside Poland, most emissions for Polish consumption are released in China, Russia and Germany.
- Poland exports more emissions than it imports: 20–29 megatonnes net in 2022. Since 2010, what it earns from foreign demand grew by 111 percent (real); the emissions for it rose by 55 percent.
- Satellites see about as much methane over Poland as the country reports (2023).
In short
Emissions caused by Polish consumption and investment, by location
The official figure and the footprint
The figure in the news is emissions on Polish territory, according to the national inventory (via Eurostat). It fell by 6 percent between 2010 and 2022. The footprint fell by 4–8 percent over the same years. The official figure counts emissions for what is exported, but not for what is imported.
Poland compared with the other EU countries
Per person, Poland causes 9.4 tonnes of greenhouse gas (Eurostat, 2023), more than the EU average of 9.0 tonnes, rank 10 of 27.
Checked from space
Satellites measure how much methane hangs in the air. From that, scientists can work back to how much a country emits. That puts an independent measurement next to the official figures.
Where the emissions occur
For Polish consumption, most emissions abroad occur in China, followed by Russia, Germany and India. Pick a year or play the timeline. Click a country to see how it changed since 2010.
Who Poland emits for
In 2022, 149–157 megatonnes of greenhouse gases were released in Poland for consumption and investment in other countries. Meanwhile, 129 megatonnes were released elsewhere for Polish consumption. That makes Poland a net exporter of emissions: 20–29 megatonnes more are released here for others than the other way round.
How we calculate
A footprint follows every euro that households, government and companies spend on final products back through the supply chain, to the country where the emissions occur. So-called input-output models do this, built on trade statistics and emission inventories from dozens of countries.