REKULTIVACE JAKO PŘÍLEŽITOST PRO ZVÝŠENÍ RESILIENCE TRANSFORMUJÍCÍCH SE REGIONŮ
RECLAMATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE THE RESILIENCE OF REGIONS IN TRANSITION

Author(s): Jan Holub, Tomás Sýkora, Petr Hlaváček, Martin Domín
Subject(s): Energy and Environmental Studies, Regional Geography, Public Administration, Economic development
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: decarbonisation; transformation; reclamation; public administration;
Summary/Abstract: Europe is now at a time when coal is being actively phased out and the economy is ideally being transformed to a carbon-free one. These measures affect not only entire Member States in the European Union, but also, and most importantly, their regions and municipalities, and they directly affect the social sphere, which is most susceptible to social pathogens as a result of decarbonisation in coal regions. The aim of this paper is to identify the development processes of mining reclamation together with an assessment of the impacts on social transformation. In this paper, the collective of authors specify the processes that affect the future potential of the affected regions and identify the barriers that lead to a lack of regulatory and substantive coordination between different levels of government. Methodologically, representative indicators affecting the situation in the districts of Most and Ústí nad Labem were selected for the territorial analysis. The data were drawn from the CZSO and compared across the size levels of the territorial units. The districts of Most and Ústí nad Labem have experienced positive changes in education and unemployment since the beginning of the millennium. However, this trend is slower compared to the Czech Republic. In contrast, the regions have been population losers. Using the example of two reclaimed lakes in a brown coal region, the paper shows which decision-making processes most influence their function within the region. Finally, the article highlights the possibilities for the use of other areas in the Ústí nad Labem region, including in the context of a low-carbon Europe where lignite continues to be strip-mined.

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