Poland’s “Clean Air” program has helped reduce smog linked to household heating, but activists say momentum has stalled, potentially undermining air-quality gains and leaving more homes dependent on coal as energy markets come under pressure. The program, launched after Poland repeatedly breached European Union air-quality standards in parts of the country, provides grants aimed at replacing coal-fired boilers and improving insulation to cut domestic energy use.
European Union officials required Poland to curb pollution, and the government’s response since 2018 has centered on replacing coal-based home heating, which is the largest source of air pollution in the country. Under “Clean Air,” households and businesses can apply for support to modernize heating systems and reduce demand, with cleaner replacements including gas, wood pellets or electricity.
Polish Smog Alert, an environmental group, said the program’s benefits are being threatened as applications fall sharply after a reform cycle. The group’s members showed data during a Warsaw press conference on March 31 indicating that the number of applications was five times lower in 2025 compared with the program’s high point in 2024, and that the slump was continuing into 2026.
Government figures presented by Krzysztof Bolesta, secretary of state at the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment, describe a different picture of progress and urgency. Bolesta said that about a million households in Poland—where the population is nearly 38 million—have used the program since 2018. He also said that two and a half million coal-based heaters are still to be modernized, framing the remaining workload as a reason to sustain the overhaul of residential heating.
Polish Smog Alert pointed to early results to argue that the program can work when demand keeps up. Andrzej Guła from the NGO said Krakow went from 150 days of heavy smog per year to 30 days, adding that the figure “is still 30 days too much, but there is progress.”
In 2024, more than a quarter million requests for financing were filed at the peak of the scheme, according to the activists’ account, before the government moved to change the program’s operation. The government initiated a reform at the end of that year to prevent misuse of funds and temporarily paused approving applications, and activists argued that the interruption harmed public trust.
Poland’s energy security concerns are now part of the debate over how fast “Clean Air” should proceed. Piotr Siergiej of Polish Smog Alert said the energy crisis associated with the Iran war should serve as a warning to speed up fixes to household heating and efficiency, arguing that lowering energy consumption can reduce dependency on imported fuels such as gas, coal and pellets.
Bolesta said the reform was necessary to ensure only “worthy projects” receive financing and to avoid wasting public funds. He said that Poland has a unique situation within the European Union because it has such a high share of coal in individual heating, but he also acknowledged that “this will be very difficult” and that Poland will continue to lag behind other countries in the bloc.