Volume 30 (2019): Issue 4 (December 2019)

The paper presents the analysis of the guidelines of the European Union, adopted in May, 2019, on the common methodology and quality requirements for the uniform system of measuring the food waste levels in the EU Member States. The Waste Framework Directive obliges the Member States to monitor the generation of food waste and to take measures to limit their production; however, a lack of uniform, reliable method for measuring the food waste levels in the EU causes that it is difficult to evaluate the scale of the problem, its sources and the related tendencies in time. The food waste is generated across the whole food supply chain; so, it is especially troublesome to determine the level of the discussed waste. The food waste with different characteristics, different source and different reasons for its generation is produced in each stage of the chain. The current data on the food wastes do not specify their quantities. In connection with this fact, a separate legal act was developed, that is, the Commission Delegated Decision (EU) dated 3 May 2019, focusing on the measuring of food waste, which is harmonized with the existing systems of data collection and provides a framework for further measures of the Member States in respect of the quantitative determination of the food waste that is generated.

Ecosystems of city parks are one of the most important refuges of biodiversity in urbanized areas. Recently, naturalists have had an increased interest in floristic diversity in regions that have been drastically modified by human activity, particularly in urban spaces. Investigations were conducted at various levels of the biological organization, to protect the environment and to promote floristic diversity. The aim of this study is to present floristic diversity in urban parks in southern Poland. The research was conducted in 10 parks located in 3 cities (Dąbrowa Górnicza, Sosnowiec and Będzin). These parks have been formed at different times, on various parent rocks. They are both natural and anthropogenic in origin and have different sizes (the smallest being 6 ha and the largest 67 ha). Their common features are way of use and management. The results of this investigation have confirmed 426 vascular plants belonging to 83 families and 247 genera. The highest number of species belongs to Asteraceae and Poaceae. Grabek Park is the most species rich (288) in comparison to the other parks investigated. Research on urban parks shows important links between floral diversity and biodiversity within highly urbanized areas in city centres and in urban spaces in general. This variety includes both native species and alien species, which are often called ‘park species’ with a decorative origin.

Since the early 1990s, more and more restrictive car emission standards have been successively introduced, and since 2015, targets of CO₂ emission have also been in force. Even though these measures are effective in decreasing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and also CO₂ in recent years in the European Union (EU), the European Commission more and more emphatically stresses the necessity of evolution of the conventional road transport towards electromobility.

The paper presents the financial and environmental aspects related to the use of selected passenger cars in Poland. External effects were calculated taking into account emission from the wear and tear of tyres and braking systems (conventional and electric cars), fuel combustion (conventional cars) and emission related to the production of the energy needed for propelling vehicles in the Polish energy sector (electric cars).

The external costs were calculated in terms of emission for all the vehicles in the analysis. On this basis, conclusions were drawn with regard to the economic justification for the purchase and use of vehicles in Poland.

The structure of fuels consumed for energy production and the amount of CO₂ emissions associated with that production in Poland in 1990–2017 and in other selected European countries were presented. The countries to be compared were selected so that the analysed group was diverse in terms of electricity generation conditions. CO₂ emission intensity from electricity production for Poland were estimated and compared with the average intensity for the EU and for the other selected European countries. Additionally, CO₂ emission in the electricity and commercial heat production sector projected until 2040 was included to present the impact of the fuel mix on the emission results.