Prague has approved a climate plan. It invests hundreds of billions
The mayor’s deputy Petr Hlubuček (STAN) said that mKey measures include the construction of a biogas plantuse of residual heat from wastewater for heating houses, energy savings in city buildings as placing photovoltaic panels on their roofs, placing fast chargers for electric cars in the lamp public lighting or the purchase of emission-free public transport vehicles. “All the proposed 69 measures are in some way related and the ideal synergy for Prague is related,” he said.
After taking into account the subsidies and savings that the projects will bring, according to Hlubučka, it will impact on the city budget between two and three billion per year. “This is an amount that is manageable for the capital,” commented Mayor’s Deputy Finance Minister Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague Sobě). He added, however, that the success plan would depend on the ability to raise money from external sources.
»Unprepared, unreal«
Opposition representative Alexandra Udženija (ODS) pointed out that according to the plan, the city is to invest 25 billion every year from next year, which it says has no money for. “So I haven’t seen that money anywhere in the budget,” she said.
She added that national legislation did not yet exist for some of the proposed measures. It is also strange to her that the city, for example, reduces money for cleaning and at the same time presents such an expensive plan. The ODS has unsuccessfully suggested that they only take note of the council plan and commission it to be finalized.
According to the representative of Václav Bílek (YES), it is not clear from the document to what extent the given measures will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions. “I miss him there table of effectiveness of individual measures“He said. The ratio of money spent and the impact of individual projects on achieving the overall goal is the information that, according to him, representatives should receive for decision-making.
Bílek’s party colleague Patrik Nacher said again that the material does not take into account the consequences of the covidu-19 pandemic. Deputy Ivan Pilný (security, formerly YES) unsuccessfully suggested that the city management complete the plan within three months and complete, for example, the impact of the measures on the living costs of the population, funding details and other missing documents.
External help
“It will be really difficult to get the necessary funds, of course I can’t and don’t want to deny that,” said Hlubuček. However, the city can, for example to obtain several tens of billions of crowns from the EU modernization fund, however, the plan must be approved. Therefore, according to him, he presented the document at the right time. In response to criticism from the opposition, Hlubuček added that the plan will be presented to the deputies again in May next year based on developments.
Four-hour debate
The discussion on the plan lasted four hours. Gradually, she moved from the plan and general ecological topics to, for example, the completion of the city ring road, the metro and other infrastructure buildings, the city’s indebtedness or the election of members of the Czech Television Council in the Chamber of Deputies.
Deputy Mayor Petr Hlubuček on the importance of sprinkler trucks in Prague and other environmental issues. (2019) Daniel Vitous
View of Prague.
Author: Profimedia.cz