The age-old motto of “think globally, act locally” is no longer enough, Áder said in his address on the second day of the event. It should be changed to “act globally, act locally”, he added.

People from 120 countries are at the conference in Budapest over the next few days to discuss climate change, the impending water crisis, measures to protect biodiversity and build a circular economy.

On the conference’s agenda are the threats as well as opportunities generated by climate change, the dichotomy of energy security and political stability, financing circular and green economies, water and food safety, rapid technical developments in transport as well as waste management, the president noted.

The expo held simultaneously with the conference offers products by 183 Hungarian, Polish, Czech, and Slovak companies in connection with sustainable food production, water management, energy supply, transport, urban development and waste management, Áder noted.

The products are aimed at reducing man’s carbon footprint and the energy consumption of buildings and transport emissions, he said.

Áder: Hungary Climate Measures on Par With Most Developed Countries

In his address at the Planet Budapest 2021 sustainability expo, President János Áder highlighted Hungary as one of ten European Union countries to have reduced carbon-dioxide emissions by over 30% since 1990.

Fully 70% of Hungary’s electricity is carbon-emissions free, while the country has doubled its woodlands in the past 100 years, he said. The world’s most developed countries “may have similar indicators”, he added.

Concerning Hungary’s contribution to common goals, Áder said the country will shut down its sole remaining coal-based power plant between 2025 and 2030, reducing Hungary’s carbon emissions by a further 10%.

By 2050, the country will have increased its wooded areas from the current 22% to at least 27%, he said, adding that the capacity of solar plants will have doubled from the current 3,000MW by 2030, while all municipal transport buses will be electric.

The government has also set the goal of not leaving any sewage untreated by 2030, he said. The president also noted the recently opened Mura-Dráva-Duna Biosphere Reserve of 1 million hectares, set up in cooperation with 5 neighbouring countries, as well as the introduction of sustainable development as a subject in Hungarian secondary schools.

Szijjártó: Budapest Global Hub in Environmental Protection

Hungary can be proud of its performance in climate protection, one of the great global challenges besides the coronavirus pandemic and migration, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday.

The Planet Budapest sustainability expo, held in Budapest between November 29 and December 5, is showcasing Hungarian companies offering competitive, world-class tech solutions in environmental protection and water management, he said.

On the sidelines of the expo, Szijjártó held talks with the ministers responsible for water management, energy or innovation in several countries.

He concluded an agreement with Sierra Leone on launching a 50 million dollar tied-aid programme, with Hungarian companies investing in water management projects in the country, with a view to improving access to healthy drinking water, he said.

The project is in line with the Hungarian government’s aim to take help where it is needed to prevent emigration from the region, he added. Szijjártó also signed a cooperation agreement with the Cuban minister for water management.

At the meeting with the Uzbek innovation minister, they wrapped up the first round of a tender for research and development startups. The tender supported nine Uzbek-Hungarian projects with a total of two million euros, he said.

The ministers also agreed that both governments would allocate one million euros for a similar project next year. In his talks with the Ecuadorian energy minister, the ministers agreed that Hungarian companies will be given the opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure of universities using nuclear energy and radiology.


MTI Photo: Noémi Bruzák