Environment in Czech Republic Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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After World War II, Czechoslovakia, a member of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI and an independent state in the inter-war period, came into the sphere of the Soviet Eastern Block. In 1968, a liberalization effort was stymied by Soviet invasion, leading to political protests and, ultimately, to harsh repression. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the so-called velvet divorce resulted in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia as separate entities. The Czech Republic is a small (30,450 square miles [78,866 square kilometers]) landlocked nation with a varied topography. The country is subject to flooding that is often detrimental to the environment. In July 1997, for instance, in the eastern part of the country, the entire Moravian area was flooded, including agricultural areas and industrial and municipal landfills along the Morava River. As a result, toxic substances were released into the environment. Unlike the hilly Moravian area, Bohemia in the western section of the Czech Republic is made up of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus set amidst low mountains. Economically, the Czech Republic has progressed much faster than most of the former Soviet satellites, and growth has been fostered by extensive trade with Germany and strong domestic and foreign investment. Czech natural resources include: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, and timber. With a per capita income of $18,100, the Czech Republic is ranked as the 58th richest nation in the world. The quality of life is predictably high in the Czech Republic, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Reports rank the nation 31st in the world.

Extensive air and water pollution in Bohemia and in northern Moravia currently threaten the health of the Czech people, and acid rain has damaged the forests. With a heavily urbanized population (84 percent) and 357 passenger cars per 1,000 people, carbon dioxide emission is high at 11.6 metric tons per capita. Since the Czech Republic joined the European Union (EU) in 2004, the country is in the process of bringing industrial practices in line with those of other EU nations, a move that is predicted to reduce pollution. Despite existing problems, a 2006 study by Yale University ranked the Czech Republic fourth in the world in environmental performance, placing it above most other countries in its geographic and income groups. The Yale ranking was particularly high in the fields of water resources (96.7), natural resource protection (97.9), and overall environmental health (97.3). Approximately 16.1 percent of land in the Czech Republic is protected. Of 161 bird species endemic to the country, only two species are threatened. Mammal species are at greater risk, however, with eight of the 81 species threatened.

Because of extensive industrial growth, the government of the Czech Republic has been forced to deal with environmental problems and promote sustainable development without curtailing economic growth. In 1995, the government adopted the State Environmental Policy, a revision of an earlier law, and charged the Ministry of the Environment with implementation of environmental protection laws that included the National Policy on Mineral Resources, the National Strategy of Regional Development, the National Strategy for Industry, the State Energy Policy, the State Program of Support for the Use of Renewable Resources of Energy, the State Program for Energy Savings, the Strategy for Agricultural Policy, and the National Program for Health and the Environment. The Czech government also implemented Environmental Impact and Strategic Impact Assessments to evaluate environmental policies. Additionally, the Council for Sustainable Development was created under the Ministry of the Environment.

At the local level, the Czech Republic has established the Network of Healthy Cities and the Association of Municipalities to promote environmental responsibility. Internationally, the Czech Republic has participatied in the following agreements: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.

Bibliography:

Kevin Hillstrom and Laurie Collier Hillstrom, Europe: A Continental Overview of Environmental Issues (ABC-CLIO, 2003);
Jiri Hlavacek et , Country Report: Czech Republic (Ministry of the Environment, 2002).