climate change

Mosquitos spreading Tropical diseases to swarm Hungary?

zika

Invasive species that spread tropical diseases are already present in Hungary. Gábor Kemenesi, a researcher from the University of Pécs, said that Hungary has to do everything to stop their reproduction. The biologist said that, unlike in the case of Covid-19, these mosquitos give an advantage for humanity to prepare for viruses and diseases such as Zika or chikungunya.

According to portfolio.hu, Mr Kemenesi said that in many parts of Hungary, invasive species are already present. A good example is Barcs (Croatian-Hungarian border), where there are many tiger mosquitos, and the situation is the same in some districts of Budapest. That is because they can reproduce even around the houses in the current weather conditions. 

The Asian tiger mosquito, the Korean mosquito, and a Japanese species are already in Hungary, he added. Mr Kemenesi stated that

climate change paves the way for these exotic mosquitos.

Global changes might bring species to Europe that can start a Zika or Dengue-fever epidemic on the continent.

In Italy, the chikungunya fever already occurred, and though an epidemic did not break out, the country got a taste of what one would be like. This disease is not fatal but causes pain and fever and can result in lasting health damage.

Therefore, the state has to do everything to reduce the number of exotic mosquitos in Hungary to avoid the breakout of an epidemic. In Brasil, nobody thought mosquitos could be dangerous, and then the Zika virus swept through the country, he reminded everyone.

These tropical mosquitos can reproduce even near houses in Hungary

if there are pots, canals, wheelbarrows, tyres where water remains intact and provides an excellent ground for multiplication. They are unbearable since they are active all day, not only in the evening.

The University of Pécs already launched its mosquito monitor program,

and everybody can help put an invasive species on the map of Hungary. If somebody is not sure what they saw, they can send a photo to the experts. Furthermore, the Mosquito Alert app is already downloadable in Hungarian.

Mr Kemenesi said that

the citizens have to be warned

how they can protect themselves against these new mosquitos. For example, if we put a net on barrels, pots, and wheelbarrows around the house, we can avoid mosquito bites.

Chemical protection is useless and harms the ecosystem, he said. Instead, we should use biological reduction since we know where these mosquitos hatch. Though some people were saying that mosquitos can spread even COVID-19 or HIV, that is not possible. However, they can distribute many tropical diseases that are unknown in Hungary.

We reported in August 2020 that

more and more tiger mosquitos hatch in Hungary.

That is because the weather in the country is very favourable for them since they hide in the gardens of family houses, and half a decilitre of water is already enough for dozens of them to hatch. Therefore, experts asked for the help of the people to be able to deal with the problem.

Hungarian president committed to fighting against climate change

Hungary climate change

Crises related to water, global warming and changes in public health conditions are following one another increasingly fast, Hungarian President János Áder said in his address to a UN online conference focusing on sustainability in a post-Covid 19 world, on Friday.

The conference was opened by Han Seung-soo, past president of the UN General Assembly session, Volkan Bozkir, President of the UN General Assembly, and Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General. In his speech, Áder noted that the issues of floods, water shortage and water pollution have been eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic over the past one and a half years while security threats related to climate change and the water crisis have increased.

Damage caused by natural disasters had further increased last year to total 300 billion dollars,

the Hungarian president said, adding that the prices of basic foodstuffs in the global markets had gone up by 40 percent. “This all goes to show that the topic of today’s conference is all the more important, since it concerns our future,” he said.

Highlighting conclusions drawn from the experience of the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters, Ader said that water, climate change and public health related crises follow one another in a domino effect.

Global efforts are necessary to speed up prevention which is more effective than tackling the consequences of a crisis.

The president stressed the need to adapt to the new situation, develop water-related infrastructure, and invest in science and technology research which can help develop in a record time a vaccine in the case of another pandemic.

Áder highlighted measures Hungary had taken in the fields of adaptation and prevention. He noted the installation of a monitoring system for the early projection of droughts, the expansion of the country’s flood protection system and the central bank’s drafting of a financial regulatory system to support investments aimed at enhancing sustainability. He noted that Hungary was among the first countries in the world to incorporate sustainability class in the national curriculum. In connection with the pandemic, the president noted the regime introduced to monitor waste water for the traces of coronavirus which allows to locate “a surge” of infections seven to ten days in advance.

The Hungarian president closed his address by underscoring the importance of international cooperation, noting the work of the UN’s Water and Climate Leaders’ Panel he is also a member of.

Opposition to protect the natural environment better than the government?

Hungary nature climate
The parliamentary groups of the opposition parties should jointly initiate that the Constitutional Court should review the law on climate protection posteriorly, Erzsébet Schmuck, co-leader of LMP, said on Friday.
 
The law enacted was initiated by the opposition but the governing parties have rewritten and softened it to such an extent that it is no longer in line with the basic law, she told an online press conference. Hopefully, the top court will also declare that the purposes and the measures envisaged by the law are insufficient, Schmuck said.
 
For instance, the target of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases by 40 percent as specified by the law should be raised to 60 percent so that Hungary should not be forced to take rapid and drastic measures involving the limitation of fundamental freedoms in the subsequent two decades,
she said.  

Nor does it comply with the basic law that the climate law fails to declare the imperative of reducing energy consumption, a target that could be attained through a more effective insulation of buildings, Schmuck said.

She announced that LMP would once again submit a bill on reducing carbon emission in Hungary by 65 percent in this decade.
 

Climate protection: PM Orbán holds propaganda speeches instead of acting

Viktor Orbán climate

The opposition LMP has slammed Viktor Orbán’s recent remarks on climate protection, calling on the prime minister to “take action rather than holding propaganda speeches”.

After a two-day summit of the European Union’s heads of state and government, Orbán said on Tuesday that Hungary wanted large polluters rather than Hungarian families to bear the costs of climate protection, saying ordinary people should not have to pay higher taxes on fuel and household energy.

In a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday, LMP party co-leader Erzsébet Schmuck accused the prime minister of

“continuing to block more stringent climate regulations”

in the EU and of “protecting the interests of the German car industry as opposed to the Hungarian people.”

Schmuck said the government channelled huge sums of money towards the car industry, which was responsible for a big chunk of carbon dioxide emissions, Schmuck said.

She said Orbán was correct that large corporations played a significant role in climate change, and she urged green taxation policies as a deterrent.

Meanwhile, 60 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in Hungary come from households and transport, she said. LMP has called for complex reconstruction programmes and the development of community transport to make more efficient use of energy and boost the use of sustainable resources, she said.

The LMP co-leader called on Orbán to back her party’s proposal to target a 65 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, rather than the 40 percent proposed by the Fidesz majority.

“Unless the government starts down that path, the Hungarian people will pay the price of the adverse effects of climate change rather than large polluters

— all propaganda speeches notwithstanding,” she said.

Hungarian ministry and opposition party call to defend the environment

Tisza River Pollution Environment Waste Garbage Effort

Marking the Day of Hungarian Nature on Saturday, the parliamentary group leader of the junior ruling Christian Democrats stressed the importance of paying mindful heed to the environment and teaching children to do the same.

“The resources of the world around us — drinking water, farmland, raw materials — so often are taken for granted,” István Simicskó said.

“Our children can only enjoy these priceless treasures in the future if we treat nature as good custodians.”

“We must behave as human beings, not as consumers,” he added in a statement.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity, Máté Kanász-Nagy, co-leader of green opposition LMP party, said the creation of a livable environment and the preservation of wildlife were equal to the very future of civilisation.

At a press conference broadcast on Facebook on Saturday, Kanász-Nagy said the cause of the extinction of species was the overuse of nature, deforestation for economic purposes, and environmental pollution.

He pledged that LMP, as part of new government after the 2022 general election, would put a halt to construction projects that threaten wildlife habitats and the destruction of green spaces and waterfronts.

He added that LMP supports organic farming instead of large-scale agriculture.

The Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement on International Day for Biological Diversity that Hungary’s natural environment and biodiversity were “outstanding” in European comparison.

“Protecting the diversity of wildlife is a joint undertaking and responsibility,” the statement said, adding that Hungary’s new national biodiversity strategy for the next decade is in the course of being drafted.

The ministry said it was “committed to conserving biodiversity” and active protection measures have resulted the rebuilding of more than 100,000 hectares of wildlife habitat in recent years, helping to protect a number of endangered species.

Tisza River Pollution Environment Waste Garbage
Read alsoShocking documentary on the unimaginable pollution of Hungary’s second-largest river – VIDEO

Greta Thunberg aims to change how food is produced

Greta Thunberg climate

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has set her sights on changing how the world produces and consumes food in order to counteract a trio of threats: carbon emissions, disease outbreaks and animal suffering.

In a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, Thunberg said the environmental impact of farming as well as disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, which is believed to have originated from animals, would be reduced by changing how food was produced.

“Our relationship with nature is broken. But relationships can change,”

Thunberg said in the video marking the International Day of Biological Diversity.

A focus on agriculture and linking the climate crisis to health pandemics is a new angle for Thunberg who has typically focused her ire on policy-makers and carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

“The climate crisis, ecological crisis and health crisis, they are all interlinked,”

she said.

Thunberg said the spillover of diseases from animals to humans was caused by farming methods, adding that a move to a plant-based diet could save up to 8 billion tonnes of CO2 each year.

The World Health Organization has said the coronavirus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, while scientists say 60% of the infectious human diseases that emerged from 1990 to 2004 came from animals.

Meanwhile,

demand for alternatives to regular meat is surging worldwide

due to concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment.

More than two dozen firms are testing lab-grown fish, beef and chicken, hoping to break into an unproven segment of the alternative meat market, which Barclays estimates could be worth $140 billion by 2029.

The Global Center on Adaptation, which works to accelerate climate resilience, said in January climate change could depress global food production by up to 30%, while rising seas and more intense storms could force hundreds of millions of people in coastal cities out of their homes.

Green papacy: Pope Francis to get first electric popemobile!

Pope Francis Budapest

Los Angeles-based Fisker Inc plans to supply the first pure electric vehicle for Pope Francis next year, it said on Friday, with features such as a solar roof and carpets made of recycled plastic bottles from the ocean.

Fisker will covert its all-electric Ocean sport utility vehicle for use by the pope, providing a retractable glass cupola and sustainable interior materials, such as the carpets.

Co-founders Henrik Fisker, formerly a designer for British luxury carmaker Aston Martin, and Dr. Geeta Gupta-Fisker met the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Vatican City, the company said.

“I got inspired reading that Pope Francis is very considerate about the environment and the impact of climate change for future generations,”

said Fisker.

Production of the Ocean electric SUV is planned to start in November next year, through contract manufacturer Magna International Inc in Europe.

The firm did not reveal the cost of the modified vehicle

intended for the pope, but the Fisker Ocean starts at $37,499 in the United States, and 32,000 euros ($39,152) in Germany.

Last year, Francis received a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai sedan specially designed to ensure his mobility.

Hungarian president addresses E European NATO states summit

nato-summit-b9-hungary

Hungarian President János Áder on Monday addressed an online meeting of the heads of state of the so-called Bucharest Nine (B9), a group of the easternmost members of NATO, the President’s Office said.

In the meeting that was also joined by US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the presidents of the grouping comprising the Visegrad Group, the Baltic states, Bulgaria and Romania discussed the “NATO 2030” reform process, the situation in Ukraine and climate change.

In his address, Áder noted that

Hungary in 2017 adopted a comprehensive military reform scheme that was progressing according to schedule.

As regards Ukraine, the president reiterated Hungary’s position in support of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He added, however, that it was difficult to uphold this support if Ukraine’s Hungarian minority “enjoys less rights than it did in the Soviet era”.

Áder said that in addition to addressing challenges from the east, NATO in the future would also have to devote greater attention to threats from the south such as terrorism, illegal migration and the spread of Russia’s influence in the Western Balkans.

On the subject of climate change, Áder said that

Hungary had managed to reduce its harmful emissions by 32 percent while increasing its economic output.

He welcomed the United States’ return to the Paris climate accord and underscored Hungary’s commitment to the fight against climate change.

Hungary president Áder
Read alsoHungarian President donates Huf 5 million for a foundation to help covid-orphans

Hungarian honey-crisis in the making?

Beehive Honeycomb

This season’s weather was quite unpredictable and even though we are almost at the middle of May, there were not many weeks or rather days of truly Springlike weather. This has had a major impact on many plants, flowers and the most concerning is, that it had a depressingly negative effect on bees. It seems like there will not be much, if any, honey yield this Spring.

Last year, many people forecast that the Hungarian honey would run out in early 2021, and it seems that it might come true. The chairman of the National Hungarian Beekeeping Association has expressed his concerns on Inforádió about this season’s honey yield a few weeks back. At that time, Péter Bross was a little bit optimistic and has hoped for a more moderate or warmer weather. Unfortunately, this optimism was misplaced and it seems that beekeepers around Hungary will have a hard time this year.

Due to the harsh weather this early Spring, especially the fluctuating temperature, many plants froze, one of such species is the acacia tree and its flowers which are not only a Hungarikum themselves, but the acacia honey the Hungarian beekeepers harvest is also a Hungarikum, something that is an important element of the Hungarian gastronomy and culture as well.

According to Péter Bross, 50-60% of the total number of acacia groves froze. Additionally, due to the bad weather, the bees themselves could not fly out and harvest pollen, so they were unable to produce a reasonable amount of honey.

The situation turned out so severe that queen bees only laid a few hundred eggs, compared to the normal few thousand. Moreover, bees struggled to collect pollen for themselves and had to consume the honey left in their hives, and

in many cases, beekeepers had to manually feed their bees in order to keep the hives alive.

Péter Bross, the chairman of the National Hungarian Beekeeping Association told Infostart, that this is starting to become a phenomena and many countries’ beekeepers have reported the same issue.

Because the first acacia blooming season was terrible, and the rapeseed season was only slightly better, beekeepers did not only face a huge loss of potential income, they had to feed their beehives themselves which can be quite expensive.

Honey has been going up in price in recent years due to the changing weather and this season will probably not be any different.

There was hardly any honey yield and that combined with the already scarce supply of high quality honey, the prices will soar, that is, if there will be any Hungarian honey left in stores.

truffle-food-gourmet-mushroom-fungi
Read alsoThe truffle native to Hungary and its untapped potential

Minister: climate goals can be achieved only with nuclear energy

nuclear-reactors atom

The challenges posed by climate change should not be neglected despite the hardships the coronavirus pandemic has brought on economy and health care, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday.

In a video message addressing the opening ceremony of Okoindustria, a two-day virtual green expo held for environmental enterprises, Szijjártó called for the coordination of sustainability and competitiveness. Hungary has succeeded in increasing its economic performance while curbing the emissions of harmful substances, he said.

While Hungary makes up 2 percent of the EU’s population, its domestic emissions only account for 1 percent,

he said.

Carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 32 percent since 1990, and energy consumption by 15 percent, he said. Hungary has also pledged to produce 90 percent of its electricity carbon-free by 2030, he said, adding the country aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Regarding sustainable energy resources, Szijjártó noted that the capacity of solar panels in Hungary has grown 13-fold since 2018.

The ratio of sustainable energy resources is planned to grow to 20 percent in ten years,

he said.

Hungary’s climate goals cannot be achieved without the use of nuclear energy, Szijjártó said. The Paks nuclear plant is estimated to prevent the production of 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide once its upgrade is completed, he said.

Hungary is also a key player in making driving cleaner, with one of the largest battery factories of the world under construction in the country, he said.

In the face of global environmental challenges, Hungary’s responsibilities cannot be limited to the Carpathian Basin, Szijjártó said. Last year, it disbursed over 120 billion forints (EUR 330.4m) in 110 countries to support some 550 international projects funding the responsible use of natural resources, he said. Hungarian funding of such projects has grown ten-fold in the past decade, he added.

With the cooperation of economic players, Hungary will transition to a circular economy and greener methods, Szijjártó said.

Hungary’s green bond wins CBI award

Small Balaton, Hungary, Lake Balaton, nature

Climate Bonds Initiative, a non-profit organisation appraising sustainable financial solutions, has awarded Hungary for its green bond, first issued last year, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.

At the virtual award ceremony, Hungary was recognised as a sovereign green market pioneer, the statement said.

The award shows an appreciation for Hungary’s efforts to curb climate change,

the statement said.

The bonds were issued in euros in June 2020 for a 15-year term, to be used exclusively for green investment, the ministry cited state secretary Gábor Gion, the head of the steering committee supervising the Hungarian Green Bond Programme, as saying.

The programme is a “watershed” measure in the fight against climate change and the loss of biodiversity, Gion said.

As we reported before, a recently published climate research examined the expected impact of climate change in the Carpathian Basin, including various Hungarian cities. In terms of climate indices, the research focused primarily on the increasing number of so-called tropical nights, referring to those nights when the lowest temperature is above 20°C. The study examined both an optimistic and a pessimistic scenario.

According to the research results,

the number of tropical nights will increase significantly in several Hungarian cities until the end of the century.

As we previously reported, the temperature rose to a record high in Budapest this February. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Hungarian capital is also involved in the increasing number of tropical nights. In the city centre, an average of 13 tropical nights per year was measured between 1981 and 2010, while in the rural outskirts of Budapest, it was only 3. In the period 2021-2050, their number is expected to increase to 20-22 in the city centre, while in the suburbs it might be around 8. The discrepancy can be explained by the fact that in the most densely built-up parts of Budapest, surface temperatures of up to 5°C are higher during the day than in the suburban areas.

As the Hungarian news portal Portfolio reported, by the end of the century,

the number of tropical nights per year in Budapest might increase to 54, while in the optimistic version, “only” 29 such nights are likely.

The situation can be even more difficult in the most densely populated areas of the capital, where the annual number of tropical nights can exceed 60. Significant growth is also expected in the areas around the city, with 12-31 tropical nights.

Hungary to become the new tropical zone of Europe?!

nature-hungary-sun-spring

A recently published climate research has revealed how the number of tropical nights – extremely warm nights exceeding 20°C – will increase in Hungary in the upcoming decades. Let’s see which are the most affected Hungarian cities.

A recently published climate research examined the expected impact of climate change in the Carpathian Basin, including various Hungarian cities. In terms of climate indices, the research focused primarily on the increasing number of so-called tropical nights, referring to those nights when the lowest temperature is above 20°C. The study examined both an optimistic and a pessimistic scenario. 

According to the research results, the number of tropical nights will increase significantly in several Hungarian cities until the end of the century.

As we previously reported, the temperature rose to a record high in Budapest this February. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Hungarian capital is also involved in the increasing number of tropical nights. In the city centre, an average of 13 tropical nights per year was measured between 1981 and 2010, while in the rural outskirts of Budapest, it was only 3. In the period 2021-2050, their number is expected to increase to 20-22 in the city centre, while in the suburbs it might be around 8. The discrepancy can be explained by the fact that in the most densely built-up parts of Budapest, surface temperatures of up to 5°C are higher during the day than in the suburban areas.

As the Hungarian news portal Portfolio reports, by the end of the century, the number of tropical nights per year in Budapest might increase to 54, while in the optimistic version, “only” 29 such nights are likely. The situation can be even more difficult in the most densely populated areas of the capital, where the annual number of tropical nights can exceed 60. Significant growth is also expected in the areas around the city, with 12-31 tropical nights.

Besides Budapest, the number of tropical nights will grow significantly in Pécs, where the current 6 tropical night per year can increase to 21 or even 48 hot nights on a yearly basis. Another drastic change, a tenfold increase, is forecasted in Miskolc, where the current 3 tropical nights per year can range from 14 to 35 until 2050.

Among the most affected Hungarian cities, Nagybecskerek, Siófok, Kecskemét, Szeged, Debrecen, Baja and Békéscsaba are also listed, each of which is expected to have more than 20 tropical nights per year according to the optimistic scenario. However, these Hungarian settlements can even reach 40-50 extremely warm nights per year, considering the pessimistic scenario.

By the end of the century, even the coolest Hungarian settlements – namely Eger and Salgótarján – can expect some tropical nights above 20°C.

In the last decades of the 21st century, 2-10 extremely warm nights are expected in the outskirts of Eger and 5-19 in the city centre, while in the case of Salgótarján, the number of tropical nights may increase to 2-11 and 4-17 on an annual average.

climate change earth
Read alsoMinister identifies pillars of Hungary’s climate action plan

EU launches website for citizens to discuss its future

VON DER LEYEN

The European Union launched on Monday a website for citizens to debate the future of the 27-nation bloc as the exit of Britain, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of nationalism force the EU to reflect on how it wants to develop.

The website, available for contributions in the EU’s 24 official languages, is part of what EU institutions call the Conference on the Future of Europe — a forum for debate to help identify issues the EU needs to address in the changing global context.

“The conclusions of the conference could be the backbone for reforms in the Union in the future,” one of the leaders of the initiative, member of European Parliament and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt told a news conference.

“A new direction is needed. This conference can give an answer to that,” he said. Conclusions from the discussions are to be presented in the second quarter of 2022.

The website prompts debates on subjects including climate change, the environment, health, the economy, social justice and jobs, the role of the EU in the world, values and rights, the rule of law, security, digital transformation, democracy and migration. Citizens can also launch their own topics.

“We want to come closer to citizens, to listen to them,” Commission Vice President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Suica said.

“We want to hear from everyone.”

After starting in 1951 as an organisation of six countries to jointly regulate their industrial production, or what was then called the European Coal and Steel Community, the EU has since expanded to 28 countries in 2013 and shrunk back to 27 last year with the exit of Britain.

In the past 70 years, the challenges the bloc faces have changed as well. Rather than coordinate coal and steel output, or tackling the problems of post World War II Europe, the 27 countries now coordinate cuts in CO2 emissions to prevent climate change or the joint procurement of vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The website is the first EU attempt to listen to its citizens directly at a trans-national level, building on the experience of such exercises at country level, notably in France.

While some EU institutions and officials believe that it is not realistic to expect that the debate will produce changes in the EU treaties — the primary law of the Union — the option has not been explicitly excluded.

Make your voice heard – click here, and get to the new website

viktor orbán radio
Read alsoSurvey: Majority of Hungarians satisfied with government crisis management

Hungary’s summers 50 days longer than in seventies

Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő

Temperature data of the last five decades show autumn in Hungary is much shorter now than in the 1970s, while spring is somewhat shorter, according to a new meteorological study. Summer, meanwhile, is fifty days longer.

Ecological damage includes more frequent frost damage, fewer migratory birds and the emergence of new invasive species, including mosquito species spreading new pathogens, according to the study released on masfelfok.hu on Tuesday.

Between 1971 and 1980, summer was between June 21 and August 20. In 2011-2019, it lasted from 29 May to 17 September, based on the daily temperature exceeding 17.71 C, Anna Kis, a meteorologist at Eötvös Loránd University’s meteorological faculty said in the study.

Winter, meanwhile, generally shifted to early December from late November and ended seven days earlier.

Autumn shortened to the greatest extent: in the decades before 1990, its average length was around 100 days, but in the three decades following it was less than 85 days.

As we wrote before, the weather is completely unpredictable. Over the course of a few days, the temperature dropped significantly in Hungary as well. On last Thursday, snowfall and frost were reported in several areas of Hungary. The April cold is not only dangerous for our health but also for the vegetation, read more: Did the April snow kill Hungarian pálinka making?

Tokaj, wine, region, Hungary
Read alsoHungarian wine and wine regions in danger?

Did the April snow kill Hungarian pálinka making?

snow in hungary

The weather is completely unpredictable. Over the course of a few days, the temperature dropped significantly in Hungary as well. Thursday, snowfall and frost were reported in several areas of Hungary. The April cold is not only dangerous for our health but also for the vegetation.

As we wrote before, after how pleasant the weather was earlier, this week has brought huge changes. The National Meteorological Service (OMSZ) advised that anyone who leaves their home should dress warmly because the temperature could drop significantly. However, the change in weather not only disrupted the biorhythm of humans but also endangered plants’.

“Unfortunately, the jam and pálinka fauna is finding it increasingly difficult to fight,” 

writes the National Meteorological Service in a Facebook post. This alludes to the problem that snowfall and freezing temperatures can cause the loss of plants. With the freezing of the plants, there will not be enough ingredients for making jam or pálinka, the special Hungarian brandy, writes Index.hu.

In addition, agriculture has to fight on several fronts. “Fruit growers are fighting the frost, while droughts and the coronavirus epidemic are also affecting agriculture,” said  Minister of Agriculture István Nagy.

No significant change in the weather is expected in the near future.

Temperatures around freezing at night can be expected in the coming days. According to the weather forecast, freezing is expected until Sunday. After that, the temperature will increase. István Nagy asks fruit growers and those working in agriculture to assess the damage, as they can count on the support of the remediation fund this year as well.

The Ministry of Agriculture also recommends that farmers protect plantations that are just beginning to bloom with fire and smoke. There is a ban on making fires, but defence is an exception to the ban. OMSZ points out that not only frost but also strong winds and low rainfall are hampering agricultural work. The weather caused damage especially in the southern and central parts of Hungary.

According to meteorologist László Molnár, such cold and extreme weather in April has occurred before, but the frequency of the phenomenon is increasing. According to Molnár, it is important to understand that climate change is not just about warming, but that both the strength and frequency of extreme weather conditions are increasing.

Check out also: Winter has come to Hungary in April, will it remain? – PHOTOS, VIDEOS

Mayor approves Budapest climate strategy aiming to cut CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030

Budapest, DreamAir, Hungary

Gergely Karácsony, the mayor of Budapest, has approved the capital city’s new climate strategy, and energy and climate action plan, which sets the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 against 2015 levels.

He also approved Budapest’s green infrastructure development and sustainability action plan, according to a package of documents posted on the budapest.hu website on Thursday. Budapest’s overall energy consumption related to CO2 emission totalled 6,109,183 tonnes in 2015.

The largest emissions originated from the energy consumption of public buildings, followed by transport, the documents show.

The largest cut in CO2 emission can be achieved by improving the energy use of buildings and next by increasing the use of public transport and cycling, it said. The document identifies among the actions the improvement of the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial production and service facilities, as well as increasing the share of renewable energy sources.

The actions further include improving the energy efficiency of the transport infrastructure, developing environment-friendly transport methods, increasing the size of green areas, preparations for tackling the effects of climate change on human health during all seasons, as well as education and climate awareness.

The large-scale programme would cost about 2,500 billion forints (EUR 6.8bn), part of which would be covered by the municipal council with the rest expected to be provided by using various forms of co-financing including planned contributions by the central government, banks, local districts and Budapest residents, according to the document.

The other comprehensive plan named after Dezső Radó, former director of the metropolitan park maintenance company between 1962 and 1984 and city protection expert, defines goals in developing and sustaining green infrastructure for the benefit of a healthy Budapest. Under the Radó plan, 53 green projects would be implemented with a total budget of 115 billion forints over the next seven years.

The plan contains as a primary goal for the city to increase by 2030 the size of green areas per an inhabitant to 7sqm from 6sqm, which would create a new public park area of 226 hectares, or in other terms, an area with the size of two Margaret Islands. It further includes renewing the Népliget park, constructing a park around City Hall and refurbishing the Jokai Square area.

According to the documents, Karácsony also approved that Budapest public transport company BKV take out with the central government’s preliminary approval a 30 billion forint loan for upgrading its bus fleet.

The mayor further approved BKV’s 2021 business plan which does not include any wage hikes.

Karácsony also approved a strategic plan on quality developments in connection with Gellert Hill and a decree for naming the square next to Nyugati Railway Station after Bela Puczi, leader of a group of Roma protecting ethnic Hungarians during an anti-Hungarian pogrom in Targu Mures (Marosvasarhely) in 1990.

This is how Hungarian goulash and pörkölt/stew will change in the next decades

Goulash

According to a freshly published study, the original ingredients of our favourite gastronomic specialities might be replaced by alternative proteins within 15 years.

Alternative proteins becoming more and more popular nowadays enable consumers to replace meat in their diets. These include plant-based proteins produced by micro-organisms or bred from animal cells which are currently chosen due to environmental, health or animal rights considerations.

Still, it seems that the growing popularity of alternative proteins will take over the power in the world of gastronomy. According to a freshly published study carried out by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Blue Horizon Corporation,

by 2035, they may replace meat protein in 90% of our favourite Hungarian dishes, including the best-known Hungaricum goulash.

As the Hungarian news portal Portfolio reports, the market for protein replacement alternatives could grow from last year’s 13 million tonnes to nearly 100 million tonnes by 2035, accounting for 11% of the total protein market. If the industry’s innovation process accelerates, CO2 emission prices will continue to rise, and farmers switching from livestock to alternative protein production will receive support, which could even double in the next decade and a half.

As a result, meat consumption in Europe and the United States will peak in 2025; and from that point, a constant decrease can be expected.

As far as sustainability is concerned, if the 11% market growth outlined in the study on alternative proteins is realised by 2035, global emissions can be reduced by more than one gigaton by replacing meat and eggs, as well as the use of alternative protein sources could lead to significant savings in drinking water. Based on estimations, agriculture could save at least 39 billion cubic meters of drinking water over the 15 years that could cover the water consumption of the inhabitants of London for 40 years.

The biggest challenge for alternative proteins is reaching or exceeding the taste, texture and price of the current level of meat supply. According to the research, this will be implemented in three phases: firstly, plant-based alternatives such as burgers, dairy products, and egg substitutes made from soy, pea, and other plant proteins will achieve substitutability by 2023 the latest. Then, alternative proteins produced from microorganisms such as fungi, yeasts, and unicellular algae could reach the desired levels by 2025. And finally, proteins bred directly from animal cells may meet the above expectations by 2032.

paprikás krumpli
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Single-use plastics will be banned in Hungary as per new environmental plan

plastic, pollution

Hungary’s government is committed to taking effective action against climate change and preserving the environment for future generations, the government spokeswoman and an innovation and technology ministry official said on Saturday.

In their video message on Facebook, Alexandra Szentkiralyi and Attila Steiner, the state secretary for energy and climate policy, noted that the government launched its climate and nature protection action plan one year ago.

Measures implemented as part of the plan have included the cleansing of the Danube and Tisza rivers of plastics and other pollutants, Szentkiralyi said.

Under the plan, 90 percent of the energy generated in Hungary will be carbon-free by 2030, and the country aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, she noted.

The government also supports the use of electric vehicles, and has contributed to the procurement of 2,000 electric bicycles, 950 electric cars and 300 electric scooters so far, Szentkiralyi said.

She also noted a new afforestation scheme meant to help grow some 650 hectares of new forest across the country.

So far, 1.1 million of the planned 3 million trees have been planted, she said, adding that the scheme aims to increase the proportion of Hungary’s forest area to 27 percent by 2030.

Steiner noted that the government this past year also launched a cleanup campaign, which, along with a smartphone app, contributed to the collection of 25,000 tonnes of waste around the country.

From this summer, the government is banning single-use plastics and will encourage recycling and the reprocessing of waste, he said.

The state secretary noted that the Matrai plant, Hungary’s last coal-fired plant, will be upgraded to meet climate protection goals.

Hungary is also increasing its solar capacities, he said, noting that some 80,000 households, businesses and public institutions were now powered in part by solar energy.

Tokaj, wine, region, Hungary
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