Over 70,000 Hungarians participate in consultation on environmental protection

More than 70,000 Hungarians took part in an online consultation on environmental protection launched by the government last year, the prime minister’s commissioner for social affairs said on Tuesday.

Zsolt Nyitrai told a press conference that the number of respondents made the consultation the most successful survey on environmental issues to date.

Detailing the results of the survey, Attila Steiner, the state secretary for climate, energy policy and the development of the circular economy, said

97 percent of respondents identified sustainability as a key issue.

The survey found that most Hungarians supported Hungary’s climate goals, with 81 percent backing them on the condition that they did not endanger the country’s energy security.

More than 85 percent of respondents agreed that the world’s top polluters should bear the costs of transitioning to a sustainable future, he said.

Altogether 67 percent expressed support for raising fines for illegal waste dumping, while 22.6 percent favoured even tougher penalties, the state secretary said.

• read also: The first day of 2022 was the warmest January 1st in 101 years

Nearly to 99 percent said they would welcome a new deposit return scheme for single-use plastic bottles. Meanwhile,

the installation of solar panels was backed by more than 95 percent, tree planting schemes by 98 percent and the reduction of single-use plastics by 90 percent of respondents.

Around half of respondents named renewable energy as the key to meeting climate protection goals, with many also highlighting afforestation and efforts to raise public awareness.

Close to 95 percent of respondents supported the development of an eco-friendly public transport system, while 87 percent agreed with the importance of preserving the country’s natural heritage in national parks, Steiner said.