Hungarian parties mark Earth Day

Despite a state of emergency in light of the coronavirus epidemic, the government continues working to implement goals in its climate and environment protection action plan, a state secretary of the innovation and technology ministry said on Wednesday, marking Earth Day.

Anita Boros said that Hungary, where Earth Day is marked for the 30th time this year, is an active participant in efforts to meet the challenges of a changing climate, with “a number of initiatives focusing people’s attention to opportunities for conscientious and environment friendly ways of life and for joint action to preserve the assets of nature”.

Priorities in the government’s action plan, adopted in February, include eliminating illegal waste dumps and banning disposable plastics in Hungary, Boros said.

LMP

Capital-driven globalisation will push the Earth into an abyss, the co-leader of opposition LMP said on Wednesday, marking Earth Day.

“We can’t continue from where we left off before the pandemic,”

Erzsebét Schmuck said.

LMP proposes that parliament should put on its agenda the main issues for establishing a crisis-resistant economy, Schmuck told an online press conference.

She said the government’s measures demonstrated that it still hoped to quickly restore an “extremely vulnerable” economy dependent on multinationals, the car industry and external markets.

LMP is calling for a paradigm shift to develop an economic structure that is resistant to crisis and includes “less globalisation and much more local economy”, which can produce the goods needed for everyday use even during times of crisis.

“It is a matter of political will whether we continue rushing towards the abyss or slow down and choose the green way,” she said.

Jobbik

Conservative opposition Jobbik said humans must stop wasting resources and travelling by air so frequently, at an online press conference held to mark Earth Day. A green expert of the conservative party highlighted connection between the coronavirus pandemic, human life-styles, consumption and climate change.

“We must change our life-style in order to slow down global warming and discontinue to exploit our planet,”

Tibor Nunkovics said, adding that the coronavirus “was not the last pandemic for humankind to survive”.

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Source: MTI