Prof. Maciej Sadowski, one of Poland’s first climate scientists and international negotiator, has passed away.
Institute Announcement
The Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute has announced the death of Prof. Maciej Sadowski. The Institute’s directorate and employees emphasized that he was one of the first scientists in Poland to work on climate protection and adaptation.
Scientific Authority
Professor Maciej Sadowski was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland. For years, he was considered one of the most important scientific authorities in the field of climate, both in Poland and internationally.
UN Recognition
Prof. Sadowski was the only Pole honored at the UN headquarters in Geneva among those particularly meritorious to the Climate Convention. From the beginning, he participated in the work on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. From 1990, he worked in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which negotiated the Climate Convention in 1992.
Polish Climate Strategy
In 1996, he developed the first Polish “Strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting the Polish economy to climate change.” Thanks to his actions, systematic work on the national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and absorption began. Under his leadership, government reports on the implementation of obligations under the Climate Convention were prepared.
IPCC and Kyoto Protocol Work
From 1988-1995, Prof. Sadowski headed the Polish center of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He was also chairman of the Polish delegation and chief negotiator for the Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol.
International Achievements
He served as vice-chairman of the Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee and a reporter for subsequent COP conferences. In 2008-2009, he headed the COP14 expert team in Poznań. One of his biggest successes was negotiating a separate reference year for Poland for assessing emission reductions, which allowed the country to fulfill climate obligations without additional costs.
