LMP slams government on climate neutrality veto

Green opposition LMP said that the Hungarian government’s argument that vetoing the European Union’s 2050 targets for climate neutrality was necessary to protect cheap Hungarian utility prices was “incorrect”.

Péter Ungár, a lawmaker of the party, told a press conference on Sunday that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had not explained why Hungary, along with Poland and the Czech Republic, had vetoed the EU agreement on Thursday.

In a radio interview on Friday, Orbán said Hungary was committed to addressing climate change alongside other countries.

But in order to commit to the 2050 targets, there would have to be signs of the money being made available, he said.

Ungár said “real” utility cost cuts would constitute installing solar panels on all homes, using the money allocated for the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant to building insulation, and raising funding for e-mobility. The government has done nothing to refresh the ageing bus fleets and has been idle on the issues of plastic and antibiotics pollution, he added. These issues have direct bearing on citizens’ health, he said.

Climate change is an imminent threat and finding a solution is a matter of life and death, he said.

Source: MTI