Polish cities continue to have some of the worst air quality in the European Union. This is the result of Poland’s heavy dependence on traditional energy resources, mainly coal. Despite heavy pressure from the European Union, coal remained the dominant energy resource for many years, and the regions associated with its extraction were defined not only by the income from the sector but also by the specific culture that characterises mining communities. At the same time, these densely populated coal mining regions have been a very attractive political base in successive elections, and this is linked to efforts to maintain coal mining despite the sector’s low profitability and strong state support, and the threats it poses to the environment. The aim of this chapter is to show the transformation of the Polish economy from the perspective of the historical role and importance of the mining sector in Poland and the current plans for transformation into a zero-carbon economy. An important aspect of this transformation has been the political and economic transition after 1989 and Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004. Only recently has the ruling elite explicitly begun to discuss the need to move away from coal. In particular, the highly controversial nuclear sector and renewable energy sources remain within the scope of current plans. The transition is presented from the perspective of the impact of the Polish economy on climate change and trends in energy consumption.