EPP-CoR President says that green revolution needs to take citizens onboard
"If we want to be successful in the green transition, we have to be efficient at all levels: the European, national as well as the local and regional level. Above all, we have to take our citizens on board." Olgierd Geblewicz, President EPP-CoR Group and made these remarks during the opening of the European week of Regions and Cities.
Geblewicz who is President of West Pomerania Region said that vision outlined in the European Green Deal, is not only extremely important for West Pomerania, but most of all it is perfectly in line with the region’s vision of development. The region consists of 23,000 squared hectares of which 35% is covered by forests. The region also has 180 km of coast and numerous lakes and rivers.
The 2019 strategy adopted by the region put green growth in a central place. Explaining the various initiatives taken Geblewicz said "A lot of work has been done in my region. We produce 20% of Polish green energy accounting to more than 70% of energy consumption in the region. We also implemented 1500 environmental projects, from big projects in cities such as those in the public transport sector to small projects like waste water treatment plants in small villages."
Geblewicz said that notwithstanding the important steps made, to be successful further actions were needed. "We have huge challenges in our cities in Poland such as those connected with air quality. We have to replace heating resources based on coal to clean our air. We have to green our cities if we want to have green lungs. We have to make our cities bluer through better rainwater collection and water management."
The CoR President concluded his address saying that the green transition should keep people at the center. "It is crucial to remember the social dimension of this problem. To be successful we have to do all our actions not for the people but with the people. We need everybody on board, from young people to seniors, from rural communities to those residing in urban areas. This is a common responsibility for the next generations."