Presented were the results of studies on energy demand in Poland with par-ticular regard to the use of renewable energy resources (RER).It was stated that the results of renewable energy use have been overesti-mated, particularly concerning biomass burning and its effect on greenhouse gas emission. Biofuels emit more carbon dioxide (CO2) per unit of generated energy than conventional fuels, including coal. It is impossible to assume a "zero" emis-sion of CO2 forming during biomass burning.We will be unable to fulfill by 2020 our obligations towards the European Union (EU) concerning energy saving, greenhouse gas emission and increasing the share of RER in national energy balance in Poland.Intensive increase in the use of solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels may threaten forestry and agricultural economy in Poland as well as necessary protec-tion of soil, water and air in rural areas. Decreasing greenhouse gas emission will require capital consuming investments in nuclear power stations, hydro-electric power plants and wind turbines, as well as in solar and geothermal facilities. In-terdisciplinary basic and development research are necessary in the area of the effect of energy transformations on the shaping and protection of rural environ-ment. ...
Agricultural tourism may be treated not simply as leisure activity in rural environment, but also as a form of acquiring additional sources for farmers' in-come. It can also be regarded as a subject of teaching and agricultural consulting. Agricultural tourism often employs methodology that is derived from other scien-tific fields such as: statistics, geography, economy, and agronomy. This elabora-tion constitutes an attempt to adapt selected methods from the aforementioned dis-ciplines. The selected methods include the following: typology of attractions and diagnostic features of rural space, determinants of development, SWOT analysis, product map, semantic profile, Delpphy's method, discrete method, model method, interchanging of stimulants to distimulants, standardization of features and tech-niques of survey studies for the purpose of assessing the diversity of agrotourism space as well as perception of attractions carried out by scholars. ...
