Index: In comparison to the environment in the EU, the Czech Republic moved from 22nd to 19th place

Prague – The state of the environment in the Czech Republic is improving compared to EU countries. While in 2023 and 2024 the Czech Republic ranked 22nd in this assessment, this year it has moved up to 19th place in the EU comparison. This is evident from the comparison of the Prosperity and Financial Health Index provided to ČTK by Česká spořitelna and the Europe in Data project. As in previous years, Sweden shows the best state of the environment. The trio with the worst environment in the EU remains Ireland, Cyprus, and Greece.

Although according to data from Eurostat total greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the Czech Republic have been decreasing over the years, it is still one of the indicators in which the country performs the worst. The Czech Republic remains the sixth largest producer of greenhouse gases per capita in the EU, despite the value decreasing year-on-year from 10.16 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent to 9.25 tons.

“The largest decrease in emissions in the Czech Republic is recorded in the energy sector due to the gradual phasing out of coal-fired power plants and the transition to renewable sources,” said Barbora Kočí from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ). In manufacturing, the carbon footprint is decreasing due to the implementation of more efficient technologies. According to data from the European Environment Agency (EEA), the Czech Republic has achieved a more significant improvement in emissions from forests and soils resulting from human activity during their management. While in all previous years the Czech Republic performed the worst in this indicator in the entire EU, this year it improved to 22nd place.

In specific sectors where emissions occur, the Czech Republic performs well, especially in transport and storage. According to Eurostat, in this regard, with a value of nearly 1287 kilograms of emissions per person, it ranks third best in the EU. Only Romania and Slovakia produce fewer greenhouse gases per capita. Conversely, a negative trend persists in industrial emissions. Despite the gradually decreasing values of pollutants released into the air, the Czech Republic ranked 19th this year, confirming long-term weak results in this sector.

While in 1999 the socioeconomic costs associated with air pollution in the Czech Republic exceeded 13 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the latest available data, they amounted to six percent of GDP. “Despite this improvement, we still rank among the countries where the costs associated with air pollution are the highest,” added analyst from Česká spořitelna Tereza Hrtúsová. (April 16)