Scorecard summary:
Fulfilment of Rio Conference Commitment - Green
Current Government Position on Climate Change - Red
Per Capita CO2 Emissions - Red (13.04 metric tons per person in 1992)
National CO2 Emissions - Green (135 million metric tons in 1992)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT:
Achieved Rio target with political and economic restructuring, but big questions remain on the implementation of further emission reductions after the year 2000.

NATIONAL CLIMATE PROTECTION GOAL:
The Czech Republic has not defined any specific climate target beyond complying with the requirements of the UNFCCC as regards stabilising greenhouse gas emissions by 2000. The government considers there are are considerable uncertainties regarding energy requirements in the post-2000 period in view of the Republic's industrial modernisation. Economic priorities prevent the Czech Republic from taking more aggressive action.

SPECIFIC FEATURES:
By 1994, as a result of economic restructuring, CO2 emissions in the Czech Republic had fallen by about 16 percent compared to 1990 levels. The decline was a consequence of the sharp fall of about 20 percent in GDP in 1993. The annual per capita CO2 emission of 13 tons is much higher than the average for OECD-Europe (eight tons). However, as is typical for formerly centrally-planned economies, energy efficiency is not well established in the Czech Republic. With primary energy consumption at about 1.15 tons of oil equivalent per 1000 US$ GDP, energy efficiency is about 12 times lower than in the neighbouring country of Austria. Additionally, liberalisation of energy prices led to steep price increases. Coal contributes a large proportion (56 percent in 1995) of the nation's primary energy so the economy is highly carbon-intensive. Several positive steps have been taken in the residential sector such as fitting thermostats and insulation. The most important source of CO2 is the power supply sector which accounts for 60 percent of total emissions. Here, classic "end-of-pipe" measures have been introduced to limit acidifying emissions. Thermal, mainly coal-fired, power plants that do not comply with government standards by 1998 will be replaced by gas-fired units.

NEGATIVE FEATURES:
Whereas official projections of greenhouse gas emissions up to year 2000 envisage a freeze at current emission levels, new data show that the recovery of heavy industry, and particularly an increase in transport activities, will return emissions at the end of the century to around their 1990 level. The "Clean Air Act" is expected to lead to the Temelin nuclear power plant being brought on-stream soon. Nuclear power would then contribute about 15 percent of the country's primary energy production in 2000, up from about 9 percent in 1995.

POSITIVE FEATURES:
The Czech Republic introduced value-added tax (VAT) of 23 percent on so-called "environmentally unfriendly" products and energy sources, whereas VAT of only 5 percent is levied on "environmentally-friendly" appliances and equipment. In addition, natural gas is being promoted through the National Programme for Air Recovery which is phasing-out brown coal and coal sludge use in residential heating.

Sources: FCCC/CP/1996/12/Add.2, 2.7.1996; UNFCCC, Report on the in-depth-review of the national communications of the Czech Republic, FCCC/IDR.1/CZE, 30.10.1995, Geneva; Country Report: Czech Republic, in: Independent NGO Evaluations of National Plans for Climate Change Mitigations - Central and Eastern Europe first review, published by Climate Action Network, Brussels, January 1995.