On 29 November 2024, within the framework of the EU's Global Responsible Leadership for Europe: Climate Change, Environment and Humanitarian Aid (EU_LEAD) project, with the support of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme, a meeting of the EU for YOU Euroclub was held. International students of Lviv Polytechnic had a conversation with Katarzyna Maciejewska-Mieszkowska, Professor of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland), on the topic of environmental and climate protection in the assessments of Polish society.
The professor emphasised that environmental and climate protection is an important issue on a global scale, and the lack of action in this area or its inconsistency with real needs exacerbates the phenomena associated with the climate crisis. The main discussion revolved around the steps needed to effectively combat and prevent further climate threats (legal regulation and pro-environmental public activity); data from the Polish Public Opinion Research Centre, which confirms the transformation of the environmental awareness of Poles, which is reflected in changes in household habits (e.g. waste sorting, reduced water and electricity consumption, etc.). The escalation of the war in Ukraine in 2022 was an important factor that increased Polish support for renewable energy sources. The evolution of Poles' attitudes towards environmental and climate protection has been gradual over the years, but the distinct climate change and related disturbing meteorological events, as well as the effects of the war in Ukraine on the energy economy, have accelerated this process. However, Katarzyna Maciejewska-Mieszkowska stressed that the real test of the environmental awareness of Poles will be the implementation and compliance with the norms adopted under the European Green Deal, according to which the European Union should achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
The topic of the EU for YOU Euroclub aroused great interest among the students, who actively participated in the discussion. In total, 35 people took part in the event – professors and students of Lviv Polytechnic.
The EU_LEAD project team thanks everyone for the interesting discussion and invites you to other interesting events within the project. More detailed information about the project is available here: https://lpnu.ua/eu-lead.
