The European Commission is taking Poland to court due to Poland’s inability to tackle poor air quality. Poland is Europe’s most polluted country, with pollution levels more than double those in France. More than 40,000 Poles die each year due to air pollution. Poland uses coal and, on occasion, garbage to heat the country’s homes. South Poland, near the ski resort towns, feels the effects stronger than the rest of the country due to local neglect of environmental rules.

The conservative Law and Justice party in Poland, which is poised to win the national parliamentary election in October, hopes to keep the United Nations climate deal in Paris non-binding. Officials in Poland hope that this will allow the state to renegotiate current European Union (EU) emissions laws. Much of the electricity generated in Poland comes from coal. While EU leaders negotiated last October to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030 from 1990 levels, this pledge has yet to be translated into binding law.

Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on Europe to “rehabilitate” coal’s image in an effort to gain energy security. According to Eurasia Group analyst Mujtaba Rahman, in light of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, countries need to find a way to lessen energy dependence on Russia. Tusk sees Poland’s massive coal resource—which currently supplies 90% of Poland’s power—as a way to prevent Russia from using natural gas as a weapon.

After six years of testing, last month Polski Koks, Europe’s leading coke exporter, launched a new type of coal pellet intended to cut Poland’s emissions. Currently, coal-fired power stations generate 90% of Poland’s electricity. The new coal-based carbon pellets, called VARMO pellets, include nonpolluting biofuel components such as glycerine and other plant materials and could help Poland reduce its carbon emissions. According to Gerard Galeczka, Director of New Projects at Polski Koks, the VARMO pellets should have significant benefits for air quality.

Delegates from 190 nations at the Warsaw Climate Change Conference are close to eaching some initial agreements on fighting global warming. Before the talks end, the envoys plan to make progress on a “loss and damage” mechanism that would help countries experiencing storms, floods, and erosion caused by rising seas and higher temperatures. Their primary goal is to reach agreements that will act as stepping stones to a 2015 legally binding treaty to be signed in Paris.