Prague, Nov 25 (CTK) – The Czech government´s approach to climate protection is schizophrenic and very unclear ahead of the Paris summit, climatologist Jozef Pecho has told CTK, adding that the Czech Republic seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but, on the other hand, it backs fossil industry by rich subsidies.
The Czech Republic´s approach to solving the problem is controversial though the global climate changes, such as drought and floods, threaten the state already now, Pecho said.
The U.N. climate conference will take place in Paris on November 30-December 11. The Czech Republic will be represented at it by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.
The participants, at least 138 heads of state or government will seek a joint path to a legally binding pledge that the average global temperature will not cross two degrees Celsius.
“However, for the time being, the Czech Republic has worked for an increase in emissions [on its territory],” Pecho, an expert from the Czech Academy of Sciences, said.
The Czech Republic, as an EU member, is bound to observe joint agreements, he said.
In terms of technologies, the Czech Republic considerably lags behind [the advanced world], but the support for [the expected] climate measures will require a sharp diversion from coal [as a source of energy],” Pecho said.
In future, carbon tax should be imposed on fossil fuels, and selected renewable sources should become tax free, he said.
“The recent development in the Czech Republic indicates that the faster the warming is, the more frequent are the extreme phenomena such as long-lasting drought or a relatively short period of very intensive precipitations,” Pecho said.
He said drought has caused damage worldwide. The present migrant crisis and the war in Syria are its consequences as well, Pecho continued.
“After some time it might pose a problem in Central Europe as well,” he said.
“It may happen very quickly that our [Czech] warmest regions such as south Moravia…will be afflicted by long-lasting droughts more frequently in 20 to 30 years,” he said.
The Czech Republic has been tackling a hydrologic drought for a long time, as a result of which the water level has been declining both in rivers and underground, Pecho said.
He said in the future, droughts will require higher expenditures so that a sufficient volume of water is secured for people and the economy. They may influence the prices of foods that will have to be imported. This may be a big problem from the viewpoint of the country´s food security, Pecho wartned.
rtj/dr/kva
