Poland's Clean Air programme sees record low applications as air quality worsens

The Ministry of Climate and Environment relaunched the "Czyste Powietrze" (Clean Air) programme on 31 March 2025 after a four‑month suspension. In the first months, 67,900 applications were submitted and 51,300 contracts signed, translating to roughly 2,800 monthly agreements for heating‑source replacements. Analysts estimate the true exchange rate to be about 2,400 per month.

By mid‑2026, total applications had fallen to under 20,000 – comparable to a single month’s intake in 2024 – prompting concerns of the programme’s worst year ever. The Polish Smog Alarm reports that air‑quality trends have reversed: "Trend poprawy jakości powietrza w Polsce uległ odwróceniu. Oddychamy coraz gorszym powietrzem." Record smog days were logged in 2025, with Nowa Ruda experiencing 91 smog‑affected days. Benzo(a)pyrene levels spiked, especially in Zdzieszowice (900 % of the limit) and rose sharply in Żywiec and Nowe Miasto Lubawskie.

Officials, including Paweł Lachman of PORT PC and Piotr Siergiej of the Polish Smog Alarm, warn that the stalled programme and deteriorating air quality pose a serious health and financial crisis for the roughly 2.5 million households still using coal‑fired heating.