Karol Nawrocki's veto against the distance law did not come out of thin air, but from a real sense of the strong moods in many places on the map of Poland. Although research shows that on a macro scale the majority of our society supports the development of wind energy, locally investments often arouse resistance. We wrote extensively about facts and myths about windmills after the president's decision was announced; Today, a new foundation established by the Polish Wind Energy Association is planning to fight the latter and disseminate the former.
Read also: Facts and myths about windmills. What you need to know about wind energy in Poland and beyond
“We need to get outside the bubble.”
The Green Transition HUB Foundation in question puts counteracting disinformation at the center of its activities, which is one of the key tools of the cognitive war waged by Russia (although, as Dr. Katarzyna Bąkowicz, who sat in the Government Commission for the Study of Russian and Belarusian Influence in 2024-2025, said during the conference inaugurating the Foundation's activities, the problem is broader and not limited only to Kremlin manipulation). — Instead of oil and gas, Russia today exports doubts and fake news. Disinformation has become the new coronavirus — the situation was diagnosed by Małgorzata Żmijewska-Kukiełka, president of Green Transition HUB.
False narratives, spread especially via the Internet, overlap with real concerns about the effects of windmills, interference with nature and landscape, or the impact on real estate values, resulting in protests. This phenomenon is not specific to Poland; reluctance towards wind farms, as noted by Michał Niewiadomski from the Energy Club, also occurs in Western European societies. Meeting fears and questions, and at the same time dispelling myths – in the popularization of which defenders of the status quo based on fossil fuels have an interest – is therefore a pragmatic decision for the wind industry. The same applies to organizing the rules of the game and developing clear rules for transparent investment management and accompanying communication. Cases of disregard for residents or introducing windmills “through the back door”, without the participation and respect of communities, later take revenge on the entire sector and contribute to the spread of outright lies.
Wind energy is developing primarily in villages, so the new foundation wants to reach especially their inhabitants. – There is high support for windmills in big cities, but that is not where they are being built. The fight is elsewhere. We need to go beyond the bubble of larger cities, experts and investors, because in smaller towns people live their everyday lives and it is hardly surprising that searching for additional sources of knowledge about green energy is not the most important thing for them – says Małgorzata Żmijewska-Kukiełka in an interview with our editorial office. – Above all, we want to go back to the roots – he adds.
Read also: “You should speak simply and clearly.” The president of OX2 Polska on building acceptance for renewable energy [WYWIAD]
Simple language, clear messages
In practice, the Foundation wants to establish contact with local communities primarily through local government officials. — People have their first and most frequent contact with local governments on matters relating to the entire community, including planned investments. Building relationships between investors and authorities is therefore absolutely crucial for us, explains Małgorzata Żmijewska-Kukiełka.
At the same time, it expressly stipulates that representatives of municipalities or counties are not to be spokesmen for the wind industry. — We absolutely do not want to shift the responsibility for the development of wind farms to local governments. In the case of each potential investment, local government officials must form their own opinion. We just want them to do it based on reliable knowledge, he declares.
Knowledge will be provided in the form of accessible educational materials, in which the Foundation wants to deal with the most common examples of disinformation and myths about wind energy. – This is not about specialized studies written and read only by experts. We will use simple language and clear messages – adds Małgorzata Żmijewska-Kukiełka. The president of the Foundation also counts on direct meetings with residents, so that investors have a chance to talk about their intentions and start a dialogue.
“We live in times of breakthrough”
Looking further ahead, the Foundation is thinking about broader campaigns conducted in the media – both traditional and digital. — This, of course, requires considerable funds, which we will seek. Grants to fight disinformation are offered by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. As an association that does not have large sources of financing used by centers responsible for spreading fake news, we are interested in this type of subsidies, says the president.
The Foundation also intends to engage in activities in the field of climate education. — We won't start from scratch anyway. The Polish Wind Energy Association (PSEW) has been running the “School with the Wind” project for years, in which teachers receive free materials for conducting lessons about windmills, says Żmijewska-Kukiełka.
The head of the Foundation hopes that the popularization of knowledge will result in more lasting social change. — We live in times of breakthrough: energy transformation. Subsequent generations should be much more familiar with it, so I think that in the next decades the resistance to investments in wind farms or renewable energy will decrease, he says.
“Friendly relations are absolutely essential”
The communication strategies that the Foundation will adopt will include more space to emphasize the benefits related to windmills. As Małgorzata Żmijewska-Kukiełka says, it is worth having the local governments where the installations are located talk about them.
— Where windmills are already standing, there are usually no protests. These investments really change their municipalities for the better. We would like to motivate local government officials to brag more about these successes, such as investments in “hard”, but also social infrastructure, which were financed, for example, thanks to tax revenues from farm owners – explains our interlocutor. He proposes, for example: organization of study visitsduring which unconvinced representatives of one commune will be able to see for themselves what life is like in the vicinity of the turbines.
We also ask the president of Green Transition HUB about the new code of good practices for investors in the wind industry, which was presented during the conference inaugurating the Foundation. As he says, the document is a “quality mark” signed by PWEA, confirming that a given investor maintains high standards of transparency, communication with residents, environmental protection and respect for the landscape.
– The previous version of the code was from 2019, so we had to update it. The document clearly describes all subsequent stages of the investment. We want local government officials to also review it and then use it in conversations with residents. The wind industry really cares about good, local relations – the operating life of the installation lasts about 20-30 years, and then it may still need to be modernized. Friendly relations with the people living there are therefore absolutely necessary – sums up. Representatives of local governments and the Ministry of Climate and Environment present at the conference declared full support for the Foundation's goals, so the Foundation can count on partners from the very beginning.
