The Condition of Climate Change Adaptation in Polish Municipalities Before and After the Pandemic on the Basis of Cso Environmental Indicators - Management Implications

Abstract

The pandemic undoubtedly had a significant impact on local development management processes in municipalities in economic, social, environmental and institutional-political dimensions. The article presents and evaluates various activities of municipal governments in the field of environmental management for climate protection and formulates recommendations for municipalities in this regard. The main purpose of this article is to assess the condition of climate change adaptation in municipalities before and after the pandemic, particularly in Polish municipalities, based on the environmental specific indicators of the Central Statistical Office. The purpose of the paper was realized on the basis of a review of the latest literature on the subject, domestic and foreign, as well as quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis. The study was carried out in thirty Polish urban-rural municipalities, , at the same time district cities (cities of the seat of county government, cities, "micro capitals" of counties), with varying own incomes. In Polish municipalities, climate change adaptation priorities have changed in very positive terms after the pandemic, in particular, this applies to municipal spending on ambient air protection (including renewable energy sources, thermal modernization, etc.), which has increased two or even three times compared to the time before the pandemic, which has not yet been recognized and studied in the conducted review of the recent literature on the subject. At the same time, the pandemic period slowed down the remaining investment and management of environmental activities, and generally did not improve waste management in municipalities.