Poland and Europe are battling the forces of nature. After another hot and dry summer, the time of floods and inundations has arrived. The climate catastrophe has set a harsh test for cities, towns, and public services. Poland has failed. Following the year 1997, one of the greatest tragedies in Lower Silesia, depicted in the Netflix series High Water, came the year 2024. The losses are affecting everyone—citizens, businesses, farmers, animals, and wildlife. Political assurances, including those from the same leaders who vehemently opposed the Nature Restoration Law, saying that everything would be fine, are not protecting us from the Great Flood. The waves destroy lives, property, and the sense of security.
Polish scientists have appealed to the Polish authorities to take action on the climate, not just in the context of immediate losses but also in terms of concrete, transparent, and long-term actions. The initiator of the letter, Green REV Institute Council expert, Prof. Piotr Skubała, clearly stated: “The increasingly severe droughts and heavy rains affecting our country are textbook examples of what massive greenhouse gas emissions lead to, as scientists have been warning for decades. The countermeasures we must implement are known to us and have been outlined at successive climate and biodiversity conferences. Why are we not implementing them?” The scientific community has no doubt—the lack of action and the passivity of politicians and decision-makers is a threat to public safety.
Politicians, defending the status quo today and saying, “we can’t act too fast, transformation costs businesses and the economy,” forget one key thing—polluting sectors like agriculture are also victims of climate change. The UN Environment Programme report What’s Cooking (2023) highlights: “Globally, food systems are responsible for about 30 percent of current anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. Animal-based products—including animal emissions, feed, land-use changes, and energy-intensive global supply chains—account for nearly 60 percent of food-related emissions, contributing 14.5-20 percent of total global emissions. The impact of growing demand for animal-based food (ASF) is occurring within the context of unsustainable farming methods and overconsumption, particularly in middle- and high-income countries. Overall, production and consumption contribute significantly to climate change, air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation.”
At the same time, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development wants to increase subsidies and support for insurance for farms. However, the right question is not how to insure against damages from droughts and floods, but how to build a resilient food system, reduce the negative impact of animal farms, and create sustainable agriculture. Unfortunately, we continue to address the symptoms without addressing the causes. Will the new Common Agricultural Policy harness the work of the scientific community and organizations such as the Report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture? Will we support farmers who understand that without systemic change, the most capital-strong industrial producers will dominate the market? What about consumers? Today, in Wrocław, water and dry foods are disappearing from shelves as residents prepare for the flood, but what will happen tomorrow? Will the post-flood landscape be rebuilt, or will politicians continue repeating the same mistakes, striking at the most vulnerable social groups?
The security of all of us, including food security, requires bold systemic actions, not discussions in offices about how to change as little as possible to maintain the reputation of defending business as usual. Business as usual and agriculture as usual are no longer options.
