A Polish professional real estate intermediary’s ethics after the deregulation of the profession

www.ceejme.eu www.wsb.pl/wroclaw/ceejme ISSN electronic version 2353 - 9119 Central and Eastern European Journal of Management and Economics Vol. 4, No.4, 321-332, Dec. 2016 Influence of selected sources of pollutants emissions on the air quality in Cracow Mariusz TRELA AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland Abstract: The article is an attempt to estimate the emissions of pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in Cracow in 2015 resulting from the solid-fuel boilers (especially coal fired boilers) and fireplaces and emissions resulting from the operation of road vehicles. Estimated emissions of pollutants were compared with the emissions of plants of significant nuisance to air quality in Cracow. Conclusions have been drawn about the directions of Cracow authority policy in environmental protection. Keywords: pollutants emission, coal fired boilers, road transport, environmental protection JEL: Q01, Q53 1. Introduction Cracow is a city where concentrations of the individual pollutants, particularly in the winter season, frequently exceed the limit values by significant intervals. This results in Cracow being perceived as a polluted city that does not cope with the problem of excessive emissions, which diminishes the tourist attractiveness of this location as well as negatively affects human health and increases the degradation of precious natural habitats in Cracow (Dubel et al. 2016), making them difficult to manage (Dubel et al. 2010). In order to improve the ambient air quality, the city authorities decided to pursue a policy of emission reduction. This is part of the European Union policy of mitigation and adaptation to climate change (Bayer et al. 2015: 1011-1023). Correspondence Address: Mariusz Trela, Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza im. Stanisława Staszica w Krakowie, Wydział Zarządzania, Katedra Ekonomii, Finansów i Zarządzania Środowiskiem, ul. Gramatyka 10, 30-067 Kraków, Poland. E-mail: . © 2016 WSB University in Wrocław Mariusz TRELA Within the framework of this policy, the most restrictive are the actions concerning emissions from solid-fuel boilers, which are used for heating and domestic hot water preparation. On 15th January 2016, resolution no. XVIII/243/16 was adopted concerning introduction of restrictions, within the area of the Municipality of Cracow, in the scope of operation of installations in which fuels are combusted. This resolution establishes a prohibition on the use of solid fuels in all heating appliances. Implementation of this resolution will involve significant financial costs incurred by the municipal budget of the city of Cracow and will lead to considerable interference in the technical facilities in properties belonging to private entities. Other very important sectors causing negative impacts on the environment are road transport and industry. However, it should be noted, that in the case of road transport, despite increasing transport activity, the negative impact is gradually declining, which is a consequence of implementation of emission standards EURO (Pindór, Trela 2014: 117-129). The negative impact of the industrial sector also has a downward tendency as a result of environmental investments in this sector of the economy (Preisner 2016: 62-65). The objective of the paper is to perform a comparative analysis of pollution emissions resulting from operation of solid-fuel boilers and fireplaces with pollution emissions from the public road transport and the industrial sector. The analysis of these values will contribute to the establishment of the priorities that should be adopted in order to pursue the struggle for a better air quality in Cracow. The calculations presented herein concerning pollution emissions from solid-fuel boilers and fireplaces were made according to the methodology shown in the paper. Calculations of pollution emissions from the road transport were made using the COPERT IV method by processing the statistical data concerning Cracow in accordance with the methodology of preparing data to be used in the COPERT IV method (Trela 2016: 226-236; Trela 2016: 281-292). Emissions from particularly noxious industrial facilities were determined based on the available statistical data. 322 INFLUENCE OF SELECTED SOURCES OF POLLUTANTS EMISSIONS ON THE AIR QUALITY IN CRACOW 2. The source of data on the number and ways of application of solid-fuel boilers and fireplaces in Cracow Data concerning the number of heating boilers powered by solid fuels (23,854) were adopted based on the inventory taken in 2013-2015 on behalf of the Municipal Office of Cracow. Data concerning the number of fireplaces (12,000) were adopted on the basis of the results of the research by the CEM Market and Public Opinion Research Institute from September 2013. However, the quality of the data concerning the fireplaces may raise some doubts. The data presented in the resolution no. XVIII/243/16, deriving from the research by the CEM Market and Public Opinion Research Institute from September 2013, are not fully reliable as the shares of the three listed groups of fireplace users (users indicating fireplace as the main source of heat, as a supplementary source of heat in the flat and indicating fireplace as a solely decorative element) add up to 103.3%. From this it follows that some of the users would have to indicate at least two functions of the fireplace at the same time, while each of the three functions excludes the other two. So, the survey was conducted in a rather careless manner or the wrong data were entered in the survey report, or possibly an error was made in the resolution and the wrong figures were referred to. An alternative for using these data are data coming from the inventory taken in 2013-2015 on behalf of the Municipal Office of Cracow. According to the inventory, the number of fireplaces amounts to 4,044 with the reservation however that the number of fireplaces was not determined in the 1st stage of the inventory-taking process, which comprised parts of the districts of Stare Miasto (Old Town), Grzegórzki and Dębniki. Taking into account the fact that other reliable data are available concerning the number of fireplaces in Cracow, it was assumed that the calculation error resulting from the inaccuracy of the data from the research carried out by the CEM Market and Public Opinion Research Institute would be smaller than the calculating error resulting from underestimating the number of fireplaces in Cracow as a result of the incomplete inventory of this source of heat. In the calculations, it was assumed that the share of fireplaces fulfilling a merely decorative function is smaller than indicated in the survey (29.7% instead of 33%), thus obtaining share values that added up to 100%. 323 Mariusz TRELA 3. Pollution emissions from solid-fuel boilers and from fireplaces Calculations of pollution emissions from solid-fuel boiler (...truncated)