The Polish Climate Case

ClientEarth is supporting five Polish citizens in lawsuits against the Polish government, claiming that the state's failure to address climate change violates personal rights under the Polish Civil Code and human rights under the European Convention of Human Rights. The claimants seek a legally enforceable right to a healthy environment and a commitment from Poland to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 61% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2043 to align with the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree goal. The document highlights Poland's heavy reliance on coal, with 70% of electricity coming from coal and significant public subsidies for fossil fuels, as well as the specific climate-related impacts—such as droughts, floods, and wildfires—experienced by the claimants.

• The lawsuits are novel because they request the court to establish a legally enforceable right to a healthy environment within Polish civil law, specifically including the right to live in safe and stable climatic conditions.
• The legal arguments are based on alleged violations of personal rights protected by the Polish Civil Code—including rights to life, health, and property—as well as violations of Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
• Based on a 'fair share' analysis by Climate Analytics, the claimants seek remedies requiring Poland to reach net zero emissions by 2043 and reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by 61% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree goal.
• Poland is described as a climate laggard in Europe, producing 70% of its electricity from coal and allocating PLN 8bn (€1.75bn) in public subsidies to fossil fuels in 2021.
• The Polish government's energy policy is characterized by a planned continuation of coal mining until 2049 and the implementation of the 'Distance Act', which restricted the placement of wind turbines and hindered renewable energy growth.

APA

ClientEarth (2021). The Polish Climate Case. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ilnjfico/clientearth-legal-briefing-on-polish-climate-case.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. The Polish Climate Case. 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ilnjfico/clientearth-legal-briefing-on-polish-climate-case.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=The Polish Climate Case |date=June 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/ilnjfico/clientearth-legal-briefing-on-polish-climate-case.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2021polish, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{The Polish Climate Case}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/ilnjfico/clientearth-legal-briefing-on-polish-climate-case.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }