A crucial factor that determines the development of production and consumption markets for biofuels is the choice of raw materials that can ensure the highest possible production efficiency, the lowest cost and the smallest emission of harmful substances to the atmosphere during all production stages. Considerations underlying the development of biofuel production have been discussed as well as the theoretical mechanisms linking the generation of biofuels to the level of production and the variability of prices of agricultural raw products. The aim of this study has been to identify the scale at which energy raw materials originating from agriculture are used for liquid biofuels production and to explore their impact on food security. The study used public statistical data (OECD-FAO and IndexMundi). The time span of the analysis was from 2005 to 2018. First-generation biofuels based on food raw materials (cereal grains, root crops, sugarcane and vegetable oils) are becoming increasingly competitive with food production recent years have been a period of the dynamic growth in production of liquid biofuels. In 2018, the global production of these substances reached 167.9 billion litres (bioethanol and biodiesel together), consuming 16.1% of maize grain, 1.7% of wheat grain, 3.3% of grain of other feed grains and 13.5% of vegetable oil.

Europe is currently facing the potentially biggest energy crisis in history. There are many reasons for this, and the current geopolitical situation makes it clear that we are being forced to take immediate action to ensure sufficient energy supplies to consumers. Until recently, the European Union was dependent on Russian energy resources (mainly oil and gas). For many years, the EU countries had been shutting down their own production and importing much cheaper raw material from Russia. The threat of a blackout is becoming increasingly possible. European governments are preparing businesses and households for the energy crisis in various ways, but there is also a great deal of mobilization to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources (RES). The aim of this study was to identify the barriers and prospects for RES development in Poland in the current geopolitical conditions. The reasons for insufficient grid HC were analyzed. Additionally, the article aimed to assess the prospects for solar energy development in Poland. Wind power was discussed only in general terms because the development of wind farms is inhibited by the regulatory framework. Particular attention was paid to hosting capacity (HC) and the condition of the power infrastructure as the main determinants of RES development in Poland. Numerous documents developed by power companies and government agencies responsible for implementing and managing energy in Poland were analyzed. Special attention was paid to legal regulations and the need for legislative changes. As a country, Poland has one of the highest growth rates in photovoltaic (PV) installations. The forecasts for increasing HC, as a prerequisite for RES development in Poland, are not promising.

The objective of Poland’s energy policy is to guarantee energy security while enhancing economic competitiveness and energy efficiency, thus minimizing the power sector’s environmental impact and optimizing the use of energy resources in the country. Poland is not the only European country to rely on coal for power generation. Historical factors and large coal deposits act as natural barriers to increasing the share of renewable energy in the Polish power sector. Yet, today, environmental concerns and climate change are prompting many countries to move away from fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, are an alternative to traditional energy generated from fossil fuels. However, investors developing solar and wind farms in Poland encounter numerous problems at each stage of the project. These difficulties are associated mainly with the location, technical requirements, infrastructure and formal and legal documents. This study aimed to identify the key factors that influence the development of photovoltaic power stations in Poland, with special emphasis on the choice of location and technical aspects of the investment process. The demand for clean energy and the renewable energy prospects for Poland are discussed based on the example of solar farms. Sixty-seven prospective farm locations were analyzed, and the results of the analysis were used to identify the main barriers and opportunities for renewable energy development in Poland. The option of connecting solar farms to the existing power grid was also examined. This study demonstrates that the development of solar farms in Poland is inhibited mainly by technical barriers, in particular the lack of options for connecting farms to the power grid, as well as the absence of support mechanisms and dedicated legislative solutions, rather than environmental obstacles.

Floods are the most frequent natural disasters in the world. In the system of warning and flood protection of areas at risk of flooding in the event of its occurrence, it seems advisable to initially work out the possibility of evacuating the population, animals, equipment, material values, etc. In this article, a methodology for determining destinations (points of destination) for the evacuation of people and equipment from a predicted flood zone (of a natural disaster) to a safe area is proposed based upon the criterion of the shortest possible distance. In the paper, a scenario is considered that involves the contours of the flood zone boundaries for several variants of the intensity of the probable development of future events (with the aid of geoinformation technologies), and the coordinates of the objects to evacuate are permanent and known in advance. With the known coordinates of the objects and the closest points of the boundary of the predicted flood zone, the shortest distances can be calculated. Based on these calculations, the appropriate destinations for evacuation are determined. The proposed methodology can be used for flood forecasting and flood zone modeling to assess the economic and social risks of their aftereffects and to allow the public, local governments, and other organizations to better understand the potential risks of floods and to identify the measures needed to save lives and avoid damage to and loss of property and equipment. This methodology, in contrast to known approaches, allows the determination of the nearest locations for the evacuation of people and equipment from a flood zone (of a natural disaster) to safe areas, to be determined for several variants, depending on the possible development of future events. The methodology is algorithm-driven and presented in the form of a flowchart and is suitable for use in the appropriate software. The proposed methodology is an introduction to the next stages of research related to the determination of safe places for evacuation of people and their property (equipment) to safe places. This is especially important in case of sudden weather events (flash floods).

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of the state in managing the Polish market of agricultural property through the introduced legal regulations. The analysis was based on declarations of intent to exercise pre-emptive rights to agricultural property that were issued in the province of Warmia and Mazury between 2016 and 31 December 2021. Legal regulations aiming to restrict the purchase of the agricultural property of the State Treasury Reserve (STR) in particular by foreign buyers came into force in 2016. At present, the main task of the National Support Center for Agriculture (Polish acronym: KOWR) is to purchase and repurchase agricultural property from private owners (pre-emptive right and the right of purchase). KOWR exercises its pre-emptive right to agricultural property before it is offered to other buyers, and it is entitled to purchase that property on the conditions specified by the parties to the agreement and for the agreed price. The research results justify the conclusion that the Polish state’s interventionism in the sale of agricultural land has an impact on the shape of the agricultural system in Poland.