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.