The importance and the role of minerals in the economy of a country or the world is highlighted by the use of the following terms: scarce mineral, critical mineral, and strategic mineral. The validity of the raw material in the economic processes and knowledge about the sources of its acquisition, access barriers, and the shaping of prices on the domestic and international market allow the development of an action strategy. The strategy must take into account the objective of the action, time horizon, the kind of the instruments that need to be used, and the scope of international cooperation. The importance of the raw material for the country is not only the volume of turnover and volume of production obtained thanks to its application. There are also historical, cultural and social reasons for its importance. The authors present arguments for another meaning of the term – mineral criticality. They also point out the linguistic differences between the term “criticality” in Polish and English. They propose to consider water, medicinal raw materials, some rock resources and amber as critical raw materials for various reasons.

Poland is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of lignite resources (including reserves). With respect to lignite mining, its position is even higher at sixth in the world, fourth in Europe and second in the European Union (EU). The role of lignite in the Polish energy mix is crucial because ~27% of electricity was generated in lignite-fired power plants in 2022. However, there are countries in Europe where the dependence on lignite is much greater and currently in the range of 40–96%. B oth the national and EU climate energy policy assumes the abandonment of lignite as a source of ‘dirty’ electricity within the next two decades. This ambitious goal is achievable but it may be threatened by the geopolitical situation. However, after 2040–2044, a large number of lignite deposits will remain in Poland. The deposits are well recognized and the detailed geology is well documented, with the estimated reserves intended for exploitation amounting to 5.8 Gt. These deposits, like the five which are currently mined, are stratigraphically diverse and characterized by a complex geology, representing different genetic types. In the context of a coal-free energy policy in the EU, the problem of the legal protection of lignite deposits remains. Thus, the question arises of what is next for Polish lignite deposits. They may be managed in the coming decades by using improved unconventional methods, such as in situ or ex situ gasification. Lignite deposits will constitute a strategic reserve in the event of a deep energy crisis caused by an unstable geopolitical situation. Finally, we suggest the urgent introduction of more precise legal changes that would protect at least part of the lignite resources in Poland for future generations.