cover image: OSW Report | Drought in the Czech Republic – the political, economic and social consequences

20.500.12592/vn3h0j

OSW Report | Drought in the Czech Republic – the political, economic and social consequences

27 Sep 2021

The situation is further complicated by the fact that for many years the Czech Republic was focusing on the construction of a flood control system and on the mitigation of the consequences of floods. [...] Around 29% of rainfall that feeds the drainage basins of the Elbe is drained off to neighbouring countries, the figure for the Morava is 28% and the Oder is 41%.15 These rivers’ catchment areas cover 66%, 24% and 10% of the territory of the Czech Republic respec‑ tively. [...] As a consequence, by ten years after the Empress’s death the area covered by forests in Bohemia had increased more than 1.7‑fold compared to the beginning of her reign, and the struc‑ ture of these forests changed.20 Due to the numerous assets of coniferous trees, the practice of mainly planting this variety was continued as late as during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia. [...] According to the rector of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, over the next 5–10 years Czech agriculture is likely to experience a disaster similar to the one currently faced by Czech forests.39 In the forest sector, alarm was repeatedly sounded against the threats associated with continued planting of spruce trees, whereas in the agricultural sector the consequences of maintaining i. [...] In 2015, due to negative consequences of using the first generation biofuels, the EU reduced the allowed share of this group of compounds in meeting the RES share target to 7% (by 2018 the share reached in the Czech Republic was roughly at the required level).

Authors

Krzysztof Dębiec

Pages
65
Published in
Poland

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