No city can tackle the challenges of climate change on its own, Karacsony said, calling on the government to create the regulatory and financial frameworks which the city must then translate into everyday practice.

The private sector must apply them in investments and technologies, an citizens must be active participants in the changes, he added.

The government’s recently announced new energy development plan which involves incorporating solar energy into energy production fits into this approach, Karacsony said.

The partnership between Budapest and the government offers a wealth of opportunities in this area too, he said, adding that Budapest drew up a solar map of the city several years ago and launched the programme dubbed Powered by the Sun.

The previous government had "banned the feeding of energy generated by new solar panel systems into the grid, thereby effectively making the installation of new solar panels impossible," he said.

The aim and purpose of the capital's programme is to have 10 million square metres of solar panels in the city, together with energy storage facilities, Karacsony added.

This would save nearly 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, an equivalent to the total annual electricity consumption of all Budapest’s residents, he said.

"Now that the challenge is clear to everyone, and the Hungarian Prime Minister is finally speaking responsibly about the climate crisis, our plans – which seemed like mere pipe dreams just a few years ago – could quickly become a reality. But only if there is partnership," the mayor said.

Photo: Pixabay

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

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