Title: Economy-wide material flow indicators in the Czech Republic: trends, decoupling analysis and uncertainties

Authors: Jan Kovanda, Tomas Hak, Jiri Janacek

Addresses: Charles University Environment Center, U Krize 8, 158 00 Prague 5 – Jinonice, Czech Republic. ' Charles University Environment Center, U Krize 8, 158 00 Prague 5 – Jinonice, Czech Republic. ' Department of Biomathematics, Institute of Physiology, The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Videnska 1083, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic

Abstract: Material and energy flows (together with human appropriation of land) are considered the key cause of environmental problems. This paper describes the application of economy-wide material flow accounting and analysis to the economy of the Czech Republic for 1990-2002. The results show a decrease of material intensity and decoupling of the economic growth from environmental pressure. The second part of the paper treats an important issue of uncertainties related to economy-wide material flow indicators in the Czech Republic. The results point out that the high uncertainties related to some material flow indicators may be an obstacle to their applicability.

Keywords: environmental pressure; material flow accounting; material flow analysis; decoupling analysis; uncertainty assessment; Czech Republic; economic growth; material flow indicators.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2008.021129

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2008 Vol.35 No.1, pp.25 - 41

Published online: 05 Nov 2008 *

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