environment

Volcanic ash makes cities unlivable in the Eastern Caribbean – VIDEO

kingstown saint vincent and the grenadines volcano eruption

The tiny eastern Caribbean island of Saint Vincent was blanketed with a thin layer of ash and a “strong sulphur” smell hung in the air on Saturday, a day after a volcano spectacularly erupted after decades of inactivity.

The eruption of La Soufriere on Friday pumped dark clouds of ash some 10 km (6 miles) into the air, prompting an evacuation of some nearby residents.

Rumbling noises continued to emanate from the volcano, with ash coating rooftops, cars and roads in Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Videos from Saint Vincent showed a ghost-like landscape.

A Reuters witness in the town of Rabaka, about 2 miles from the volcano, said the ground was covered with about 12 inches (30 cm) of ash and rock fragments from the blast. Ash clouds blotted out the sun, giving the sky a bleak twilight look.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said it was unclear how much more ash the volcano would vent out, adding that more than 3,200 people were now in shelters.

“All I’m asking of everybody is to be calm,” Gonsalves told reporters on a visit to a shelter.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where just over 100,000 people live, has not experienced volcanic activity since 1979, when an eruption caused approximately $100 million in damages. La Soufriere’s eruption in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people.

In a statement issued at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), Saint Vincent’s National Emergency Management Organisation said “steaming/smoking” from the volcano had increased in the last few hours, warning those that live close to the site to be prepared to “evacuate at short notice.”

Earlier, the agency said on its Facebook page that “strong sulphur scents pervade the air” and urged residents to be careful.

Authorities say they are awaiting scientific findings before announcing what further steps to take.

ABC News also reported about the incident, you can watch the video here:

PM Office: Green areas in City Park increase thanks to investments mayor objects to

liget budapest

Green spaces in Budapest’s City Park have increased thanks to the very investments that the city’s mayor has complained about, Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said in a letter to Gergely Karácsony.

Gulyás said in the letter posted on Facebook that the capital’s leadership should welcome an increase in green spaces given their professed green credentials.

He referred to one “dilapidated and graffiti-marked” site in the park which has been demolished, creating more than 1,500sqm of new green space, while a cafe there takes up a mere 120sqm.

Gulyás said the park’s renewal and landscaping enriched tens of thousands of square meters of green areas, adding that almost 150,000sqm of green space has been regenerated, while 72,000sqm of paved land has been dug up.

Fully 500 deciduous trees, 70,000 shrubs and almost 140,000 perennials have been planted during the development, he said.

Referring to the Liget project, an ongoing investment to revamp the park and its surroundings by creating a new cultural quarter, he said green areas would increase by tens of thousands of square meters from 60-65 percent of the park’s previous total.

Also, the Green Budapest scheme recently adopted by the central government will add 73 hectares of new green spaces within the capital’s borders, while 187 hectares of existing urban green spaces will be renewed, Gulyás said.

So, he added, the government’s environmentally friendly policies have gone well beyond rhetoric, and, Gulyás insisted, it has achieved more in this regard in the last three decades than anyone else.

Gulyás accused the mayor of using his current office as nothing more than a “political springboard”.

So instead of cooperating with the government, he is casting around for disputes, he added.

Liget Budapest architecture museum
Read alsoLiget Budapest’s new building wins international award

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.

Shocking documentary on the unimaginable pollution of Hungary’s second-largest river – VIDEO

Tisza River Pollution Environment Waste Garbage

Climate change and environmental protection are hot topics nowadays, and there is a reason for that. They are very much burning issues, and actions must be taken. Climate change needs to be mitigated as much as possible, and we need to teach our children to be more responsible for the environment than we are. There is no question on the importance of the matter.

However, thanks to the modern information-forward nature of our world, if we hear too much about something, it becomes dull, and people will become insensitive to the issue or straight up become indifferent. Humans are a strange sort of creature. One of the most intelligent species on Earth, or at least thought to be the most intelligent by itself, yet is polluting its own habitat and destroying the ecosystem it is living in.

Humankind often needs to see the consequence of their actions even to begin to understand the damage they have or rather WE have caused. If it is just words, they do not reach as many people, but if we see something, that leaves a deeper impression.

This new shocking and eye-opening documentary shows the consequence of the indifference and laziness of humans. The unimaginable amount of waste people throw away end up polluting the environment and polluting humankind.

Dimitry Ljasuk, a half-Hungarian, half-Ukrainian filmmaker and activist, wants to reunite humankind with nature because he thinks that the distance between nature and humanity is increasing. In his latest documentary, Tisza nevében (In the name of the Tisza), Dimitry aims to present people with the sheer volume of waste polluting the river Tisza. But that is not all.

Through the Tisza, the pollution goes straight to the Danube and without any significant barriers, it directly flows into the Black Sea.

The documentary is mainly in Hungarian, but there are several official subtitle options, like English, German, Russian and more, so you can understand the desperate message of the Tisza.

The imagery and music of the movie, together with the sad and shocking truths, makes it a very touching film or rather a depressing one. Seeing the futile life effort of some people who sacrifice their time and earnings to initiate a change, and yet most people just do not care, and the fact that the waste keeps coming endlessly is devastating.

Index reported that the documentary had been shot in four countries, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and Romania, as this issue is not only affecting one nation but the entire Carpathian Basin and even beyond. One of the most touching moments in the documentary is when Dimitry Liasuk says the following:

“My father had the lifelong dream of coming here with his fishing rod and to make a catch in the river and the sea at the same time… He told me so many stories about it, and now I can finally see it. However, I never had thought that I would come here to dig in garbage…”

Tisza River Pollution Environment Waste Garbage Effort
Source: facebook.com/petkupa
Dimitry Liasuk has made 10 points why he thinks the movie had to be made:
  1. To protect the Tisza – indirectly by calling the attention of people to the issue.
  2. To present personal stories – Showing the thoughts, actions, fights, and feelings of real people bringing the story closer to the viewer.
  3. To apparent stereotypes – Showing the Hungarian population what is the root of the problem and deconstruct the stereotypes about Transcarpathia.
  4. To induce local responsibility – Making people understand their actions and show them a solution.
  5. A common problem, common solution – This issue concerns the entire Carpathian Basin, not just a single country.
  6. To send a message to the President – Rivers should be cleaned from their source, and the problem cannot be solved without aid and help from the state.
  7. To educate – every viewer and make them think about what they can do to help, even if it is something small.
  8. To strengthen the love of nature – To make the love of the people living near the Tisza stronger and motivate them to care about their environment.
  9. Geography – To educate more people about the geography of their surrounding areas.
  10. LEGO – To help children from Kőrösmező to have a great memory of visiting the LEGO factory in Nyíregyháza.

Nature is important. Even little things matter a lot. Just think about something you could do to help protect your environment. It will help Earth to be a better a healthier place once again.

Read alsoWaste from Ukraine swarmed River Tisza – PHOTOS

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
Read alsoDiscovering Hungary through its cuisine – lockdown edition – RECIPE

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
Read alsoHungarian wine and wine regions in danger?

Budget airlines seek EU sustainable fuel quotas for all flights

wizz air

Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizz Air and other low-cost airlines have written to the European Union asking that its plan to force carriers to use a certain share of sustainable fuels apply to all flights, not just short-haul ones.

The European Commission is drawing up targets for airlines to use a minimum share of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), to curb the sector’s planet-warming CO2 emissions. In December Brussels shelved a draft 5% target for 2030 for being too low.

A group of budget airlines, which do not compete in long-haul markets, and environmental groups wrote to the Commission on Wednesday, asking that any SAF quotas apply not only to flights inside Europe, but also long-haul trips to and from the continent.

“Excluding long-haul flights from the SAFs mandate would mean the very area of our sector that most needs to decarbonise would not be covered at all by this legislation,” said the letter to the EU’s climate and transport policy chiefs, seen by Reuters.

Its signatories included Easyjet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Jet2 and the non-governmental organisation Transport & Environment.

They cited data from air traffic management group Eurocontrol, which said the 6% of flights from European airports that crossed more than 4,000km accounted for half of the total CO2 emissions from flights leaving Europe.

“There is no logic in excluding long-haul flights from SAF usage obligations as this is their only possible way to decarbonise,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said in a statement.

T&E executive director William Todts said long-haul flights currently “escape regulation of their pollution despite causing the bulk of emissions”.

The signatories said SAFs are the only near-term option to curb long-haul flights’ emissions – while for short-haul, SAFs are a temporary solution, before technologies such as hydrogen-fuelled aircraft become available in the 2030s. Airbus plans to put a carbon-free plane into service by 2035.

The move may be opposed by traditional carriers, if it imposes costs on them not faced by foreign rivals. Air France KLM and Lufthansa could not immediately be reached for comment.

lufthansa
Read alsoMarch brings new and resumed flights to Budapest Airport!

Could insects be the future of Hungarian cuisine? – PHOTOS

Mealworms Insects Eating Edible Ehető Rovar Lisztkukac

You have probably heard of this new movement where people urge us to incorporate insects into our diet as it is less demanding on nature than normal meat-producing animals. Although eating insects is not an entirely new thing for humans, it is not really part of European and Hungarian culture or cuisine. This, however, might change in the foreseeable future.

24 interviewed Mariann Szabó, the chairperson of the Hungarian Bogárétel Alapítvány (Bugfood Foundation) and an enthusiastic supporter of incorporating insects into the Hungarian cuisine. According to the interview, she first encountered the idea on a plaque in a zoo where the article talked about edible insects. Mariann says that she immediately tried to find out more about it and looked it up on the internet. She said that

back then, it was a very new thing in Hungary, and there was no information available in Hungarian. She bought the insects from pet-stores where they were selling them as fodder, or she ordered them online.

She highlights that there are a few benefits of eating insects. In some countries where they are already eating it, one of the reasons is the cost. The movement is getting new vigour and more supporters as it is also part of the environmental issue, or rather the solution.

There were also some strange traditional Hungarian methods to help cure ailments. You can read more about them by clicking HERE.

Mariann says that the main reason is sustainability. Insects can be raised in a much smaller area than cows, and insects can also be raised in vertical spaces. She said that to produce 1 kilogram of cow meat, one would need 22,000 litres of water, whereas to produce 1 kilogram of insect protein, one would need only one litre.

The reason behind that is that insects have a short life cycle and produce valuable protein much quicker. They are also rich in Omega-3 and unsaturated fats. Entomophagy, the act of eating insects, is not wide-spread in Hungary, but she does not give up promoting the idea.

“Up until one to two years back, you could only buy such things in pet stores as fodder. For some time, you can order a few insect products online from Hungarian webshops.”

She also said that there are quite a few recipes on the internet, and there are a few “etnomochefs” out there who try and replicate existing foods with insects. She likes mealworms and locusts the most, but she also likes silkworm pupas and wax moth larvae. Mariann highlighted that usually, the first thing people try are the mealworms, locusts and crickets. She said that freeze-dried insects do not taste quite like fresh ones.

The easiest way to prepare them is to fry them in oil: locusts are delicious in tempura or other batter, mealworms and crickets can be ground to make flour, and after that, the possibilities are endless; you can even bake cricket muffins, cookies or cakes. Some can be boiled, and others glazed in a pan.

Mariann Szabó said that there are also a few things to consider. People allergic to shellfish are usually also allergic to insects as well. You might need to check with your doctor. You should not collect wild insects. Although you do not have to worry about zoonoses – carrying diseases from animals to humans – insect collected from the wild could have been in contact with harmful chemicals, waste or might have eaten from infected animal carcasses. And also because you might catch a poisonous insect. There is a list by the Wageningen University in the Netherlands that contain all edible insects; currently, around 2,100.

Mealworm Lisztkukac Chips
Tastings before the pandemic Source: facebook.com/bogaretel

Mariann also highlights that it is important what the insect eat before you prepare them because you also eat the insects’ insides. You need to “purge” them and feed them with food that can empty harmful materials from their guts. Also, what they feed on can alter their taste.

“I give mealworms cinnamon apples, and they take on the taste of the cinnamon.”

She also kills the insects, so she does not cook them alive; it is messy and inhumane – she says. Putting them into the freezer for 24 hours will kill them.

When the interviewer asked whether there are any regular consumers of insects, she replied that usually no one eats insects on a regular basis yet, but there are more and more people like herself who try to incorporate insect into their dishes.

Mariann also added that most people who try it either keep animals that eat insects or people who work in pet stores, but she tries to promote the idea and organise tasting when possible.

Vegan Love Food Étel Étterem Restaurant
Read alsoWasting food? No more! – Hungarian app helps restaurants and customers

President Áder hails Hungarian invention aimed at eliminating disposable plastics

tisza-river-plastic-waste-hungary

President János Áder on Monday hosted two young Hungarian chemists in his podcast Blue Planet, who had created a mixture of bacteria which could make plastics bio-degradable.

In his conversation with Liz Madaras and Krisztina Lévay, Áder noted that the annual volume of plastic produced in the past 50 years had increased 20 times, adding that 20,000 plastic bottles per second were sold globally. Those bottles take 500 years to decompose, he said, and insisted that in view of the rate of production by 2050 “we could have more plastic in the seas and oceans than fish”.

Lévay said in the podcast that

their invention, now registered, could be used to decompose a wide range of plastics, “roughly all plastic waste produced in a household”.

Madaras said that the bacteria could transform plastic, produced to be long-lasting, into environment-friendly matter and re-enter the eco-system. The mineral oil, which serves as a raw material for those plastics, “came from vegetable and animal remains many million years ago”.

The inventors said that the waste would not require any preliminary chemical treatment before being exposed to the bacteria.

The selectively collected waste could be transformed into biomass in a matter of eight weeks, and then used as a soil fertiliser.

The president voiced hope that industrial utilisation of the invention could start before the end of this year.

tisza-river-plastic-waste-hungary
Read alsoPresident Áder hails Hungarian invention aimed at eliminating disposable plastics

Hungarian president takes up role in global water, climate management body

Hungary water president

President János Áder has joined current and former heads of state, former heads of government, ministers, leaders of international NGOs and large corporations on a panel promoting implementation of the global goals set so far on water management and climate protection.

Áder will take a role in the Water and Climate Management Board at the request of the heads of the World Meteorological Organisation and UN Water Coordinating Organisation, the president’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.

The members of the fifteen-member panel invited from the five continents will focus on “mutually reinforcing, practical solutions” related to data processing, education, regulation, collaboration and funding.

Improving water management will largely hinge on making investments that aid the adaptation to climate change, improving public health and the resilience of societies to epidemics, as well as food security and the stability of economies, the statement said.

At the first meeting,

Áder said the social and economic impacts of climate and water problems must be addressed in their context,

and that he would promote practical solutions developed by the board in both domestic and international forums.

At the end of November, the body is scheduled to hold a working meeting in Hungary as part of the sustainability expo and Planet Budapest world conference.

New reform beach to be built at Lake Balaton

In the summer, visitors can enjoy several types of beaches around the Hungarian Sea, including free beaches, eco-beaches, naturist beaches, children’s beaches, beaches that welcome dogs, adventure parks and numerous tailor-made spas. However, recently a new kind of architectural approach, a more eco-friendly idea has been born on Lake Balaton’s shores.

Last autumn, the Department of Architecture of the Hungarian Academy of Arts – together with the local government – announced a competition for the development of the Balaton shore areas of Keszthely. As a result of the tender, an epoch-making idea was born by the architects Péter Hámori and Sándor Guba.

Even though the tender targeted the development of the 4,000 m2 wellness, entertainment and commercial development of the centre of Lake Balaton, according to the Hungarian architects, a different approach is needed. Accordingly, human intervention should aim to protect the natural habitat of the Hungarian Sea, which is one of the most popular domestic destinations among Hungarians.

As the Hungarian news portal Index reports,

the focus of their idea is the restoration of the natural protection zone of Lake Balaton,

the expansion of wooded, bushy habitats dotted with reeds. They would build arid, dry and wet meadows with internal lakes. In simple terms, they would rebuild it similarly as it could have been in the past.

Within the framework of their eco-friendly idea, the zone between the railway and the shore of Lake Balaton would be a car-free zone. It could only be driven by human-powered vehicles (bicycles, segways). The zigzagging, winding waterfront would be much longer (1.8 kilometres instead of the current 500 meters). The new beach would be free. This would also respond to the exclusionary phenomenon of open beaches closing one after the other across Lake Balaton.

The lost revenues would be replaced by water sports equipment rental, massage and sauna pavilion operation under the municipality’s authority.

The few service pavilions (washbasin, changing room, sauna, hot tub, mud therapy) would be built from the material of demolished buildings and slides, reducing construction waste.

This kind of approach already worked in several European countries, such as France, on the river Maine banks. According to the architects, every element of their plan is feasible, and they are glad that there was a great interest in their idea. Now they are looking for a location and a venturous municipality on Lake Balaton’s shores that support their environment-friendly idea to be realised.

RévfülöpBalatonHarbour
Read alsoTime travel around Lake Balaton; how it looked in the past century and how it looks now – PHOTOS

President contacts Romania over river pollution

river tisza pollution

President János Áder sent a letter to Klaus Iohannis, his Romanian counterpart, on Friday, calling on him to take steps over the latter country’s repeated pollution of Hungarian rivers.

In his letter, Áder noted that the Hungarian section of the river Szamos had recently been polluted by heavy metals from unused mines in northern Romania. Áder asked his counterpart to promote his country’s meeting obligations under bilateral and international environmental agreements.

Hungarian authorities were alerted to the pollution in the Szamos on Thursday.

Áder said in his letter that concentrations of zinc, copper and cadmium were still “above acceptable levels”.

It is not yet known what impact the current pollution will have on water quality and the flora and fauna of the river, Áder said, but added that “what we are facing is the umpteenth occasion of water pollution from Romania”. He noted that similar disasters had happened in 2000, 2013 and 2018, when toxic waste from unused mines in Romania had reached Hungarian riverways.

“I am convinced that we must resolve this dangerous situation without delay,” Áder said, adding that the ecosystems of Hungarian rivers have been “extremely fragile since the devastating cyanide spill of 2000”.

“Mutually agreed obligations” under international agreements offer legal ways “to take a firm stance against polluters” and to prevent further damage to the environment, Áder said in his letter.

tisza-river-plastic-waste-hungary
Read alsoWater management authority alerted of Szamos River pollution from Romania

Water management authority alerted of Szamos River pollution from Romania

tisza-river-plastic-waste-hungary

The national water management authority (OVF) said on Wednesday that it had been alerted of heavy metal pollution to arrive in Hungary over the River Szamos from Romania.

The Romanian side had sent the information over the Principal International Alert Centre (PIAC), showing that heavy metal pollution resulting from mining spoil is expected to arrive in Hungary at midnight on Wednesday.

The pollution is of unknown composition and volume, OVF said.

The OVF director general has ordered the setting up of a national technical control body which will be tasked with coordinating and managing protection.

For that matter, last week the conservative opposition Jobbik party filed an environment pollution report with authorities over communal waste drifting on the Hungarian section of the Tisza river and its tributaries, the Kraszna and Szamos rivers, near Hungary’s eastern borders.

budapest danube boat
Read alsoRiver Danube is Europe’s most polluted stream

Hungary’s wildlife endangered due to the EU project aimed at increasing cargo ship traffic on River Danube

Megyeri Bridge, Danube, bridge

In order to implement more frequent cargo ship traffic on the River Danube, it would be necessary to make the river 2.7 meters deep in Hungary. The cost of the investment is EUR 6.3 million, funded by the European Union in 85%. However, dredging affects protected species and Natura 2000 sites. Furthermore, humans can also be affected, as ships will pollute drinking water supplies. The public can comment on the newly published strategic environmental assessment of the development until the beginning of March.

The strategic environmental assessment of the Danube shipping development program has been completed; the investment belongs to the project entitled “Extension of the preparation for the development of the Hungarian TEN-T inland waterway”. The European Union is also a stakeholder in development. TEN-T stands for Trans-European Transport Network, a road, rail, air and waterborne transport network designed to serve the whole of the European continent. The Danube-Main-Rhine canal, which is 3,500 km long, connects eleven European countries from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The budget for domestic development is EUR 6.3 million, 85% of which is financed by the European Union.

The development aims to enable cargo ships to sail more frequently in the Hungarian section of the Danube than currently, which requires the deepening of the riverbed (to 2.7 meters depth) in Hungary.

As a result of the investment, vessels with a draft of 25 decimetres and a carrying capacity of 1300-1600 tons would be able to navigate the river for 300 days a year.

In 2018, it turned out that the investment will be carried out for a net amount of EUR 3.6 million. The project affects the Danube section between the village of Szap in Slovakia and the southern border. Nearly 52 kilometres in total (including 31 sites), need to be intervened in the section between Szob and the Southern border to improve navigability.

As Átlátszó reports, the Danube navigability project is significantly delayed due to environmental concerns. Planning started back in 2005 and was intended to be finished by 2014. WWF Hungary also raised its voice against the investment at that time, and in 2011 the green authority revoked several already valid environmental permits. In 2005, the Hungarian section of the Danube was added to the European Union’s priority transport routes, which stipulates that the river must also be made available to EU cargo ships. At the time, WWF criticised the Union for trying to favour only large shipping companies with riverbed deepening. According to the organisation, river regulation works could ruin the natural values ​​along the Danube, with many believing that “it is not the river that needs to be adapted to the boats, but the boats to the river”.

In the course of the current strategic review, the previous plans were refined, several versions were outlined, and today they do not impose stricter requirements than those required by international agreements.

Read also: Police offer EUR 5,600 reward for information on Danube oil pollution

Still, several negative impacts are expected from ecological and nature conservation point of view.

One of the biggest problems is the endangerment of aquatic species, including invertebrates, fish and bird species. These species are extremely threatened by dredging and the increasing cargo ship traffic. As a result, several species’ natural habitat will change and will no longer be suitable as a breeding, feeding or nesting place. The investment can endanger protected species as well, including crabs, protected bird species of significant natural value (for example small lilies and waders), dragonfly species, protected water snail species and fish species. Furthermore, it can damage protected natural areas of national importance, Natura 2000 areas and elements of the National Ecological Network. Many protected birds nest in areas potentially affected by deforestation, as well as the Eurasian beaver, otter, and bat.

The investment also endangers drinking water supplies.

“As a result of the interventions resulting in the decomposition of the cover layer in the protection area of ​​the water bases, the pollutants in the Danube can enter the aquifer directly and reach the wells due to the violation of the membrane providing biochemical filtration.” The project affects 58 water bases along the Danube, of which 26 are long-term, and 32 are currently in operation. Groundwater extracted from the filtered basins along the Danube supplies almost 40% of the country’s population.

Adverse effects mainly affect the offspring of fish that are more likely to be present in shallower coastal areas. According to the document, it is appropriate to limit and constantly monitor the speed of vessels causing large surges at certain critical stages during the period when the offspring are not yet able to dodge the waves.

By 2050, ship traffic on the affected Danube section may increase by about 75% in terms of the number of ships.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons by Gábor Dvornik

Ráckevei-Duna olajszennyezés
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The new hit of Coca-Cola makes its debut in Hungary

Coca Cola Coffee, drink, Hungary

Hungarian consumers could try for the first time the innovative paper bottle prototype developed by Coca-Cola and the Danish Paboco startup last year. In the second quarter of the year, 2,000 domestic customers will be able to meet the new type of packaging solution.

During the first European market test, Coca-Cola’s plant-based beverage, AdeZ, will be presented in a new paper bottle and will reach consumers through a partnership with Kifli.hu, one of Hungary’s fastest-growing online food retailers.

According to Pénzcentrum, the paper bottle prototype developed in collaboration with scientists at Coca-Cola’s research and development laboratory in Brussels and the Danish Paper Bottle Company (Paboco) is part of the soft drink manufacturer’s “A World Without Waste” strategy. The commitments of the project include that by 2030, Coca-Cola will collect and recycle 100% of its packaging materials.

One of the goals of the “A World Without Waste” project is to develop innovative packaging solutions that enable a circular economy.

www.packagingeurope.com

The technology developed by Paboco aims to create 100% recyclable bottles made from sustainably sourced wood with a bio-based liner suitable for storing liquids such as carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, beauty products, and other everyday consumer products. In the current prototype, in addition to the paper cover, the lining and cap are made of recyclable plastic.

The ultimate goal is to develop a bottle that does not contain plastic in its liner and that can be fully recyclable as paper.

As we wrote before, Coca-Cola already came up with several projects aiming for sustainability and environmentally-friendly packaging. The manufacture of lighter aluminium cans and the replacement of the shrink-wrap was one of the main projects of the company realised in Hungary, read more HERE.

“We see the consumer test announced today as a milestone in our efforts to develop paper bottles,” said Daniela Zahariea, Coca-Cola Europe’s Director of Technical Supply Chain and Innovation.

“Consumers of the AdeZ plant-based drink are particularly characterised by a strong focus on sustainability and an interest in developments and innovations in said area. That is why we think that given the brand’s messages and product, the AdeZ brand is a good choice to test the prototype and reception of our new paper bottle in a fierce market environment,” added Katalin Halász, the European Marketing Director responsible for Coca-Cola’s Nutrition category.

costa coffee
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Get ready, the weekend brings extreme cold!

winter ice hungary

A lot of sunshine is expected on the weekend, and snow can only be expected in some places. The National Meteorological Service says that we need to prepare for cold temperatures and freezing during the day; in some cases, we might even measure minus 20 degrees in the morning.

Several hours of sunshine are expected in most of the country on Saturday. There may be more cloudy periods, mainly in the north-eastern and eastern landscapes and in Western Transdanubia. There may be snow showers here and there, but they are more likely in the northeast.

The lowest temperatures are likely to be between minus 14 and minus 8 degrees, but in clear, wind-protected, snowy areas, they can measure up to minus 20 degrees.

There might be occasional snow showers on Sunday. During the day, the sun will shine for several hours, while in the eastern part of the country, there may be more cloudy areas.

winter at balaton
Photo: MTI/Varga György

The northern and north-west winds can be expected to strengthen. During the coldest hours, the temperature will usually be between minus 12 and minus 5 degrees, but in clear, wind-protected, snowy parts, it can even reach 16 degrees.

Daytime maximum temperatures are expected to vary between minus 5 and plus 3 degrees.

Hungary to complete pipeline for Azeri gas by October

pipeline

Hungary will complete the missing section of the pipeline through which Azerbaijani gas is set to arrive in the country, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday.

Addressing an online session of the ministerial advisory panel of the Southern Gas Corridor, Szijjártó called gas supply a national security issue for Hungary, and confirmed his government’s commitment to diversification both in terms of sources and supply lines.

The minister hailed the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor and called for the soonest possible construction of the missing national sections in Europe. The Serbian section between the Hungarian and Bulgarian borders is already in place, he said, and he called for the section between Bulgaria and Greece to be completed as soon as possible.

Szijjártó welcomed the potential to increase the corridor’s capacity and deliver new Azeri sources of supply in 2023.

The minister has instructed Hungary’s electricity and gas works to start talks with Azeri oil company Socar on the contractual arrangements by which Hungary can buy Azeri gas.

Szijjártó also welcomed the new cooperation agreement signed with Turkmenistan on joint prospecting projects on the Caspian Sea, which may pave the way for additional gas supplies through the corridor.

The minister noted that Hungarian oil and gas company MOL is the biggest central European investor in Azerbaijan, and holds the third biggest portfolio in Azeri-Chiraw-Gunashli, that country’s biggest gas field.

azerbaijan baku flag
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Hungarian technology to be used for treating waste water in Ghana

waste water pixabay

Hungarian technology will be used for treating waste water in two regions of Ghana within two years, EXIM, which funds the project, said on Thursday.

The Pureco-Unit Consortium is in charge of preparing the plans and building the waste water facilities for the Jospong Group, one of Ghana’s largest privately-owned conglomerates. EXIM is providing funding for the buyer in line with a contract signed at the end of January.

In addition to Hungarian technology, Ghana will also receive training to operate the new system.

Currently the affected regions treat only 10 percent of waste water properly, but thanks to the investment they will have capacity to treat all the waste water generated, EXIM said.

Pureco-Unit and the Jospong Group have already cooperated in building a waste water facility in Ghana, where test operations are soon to start, EXIM added.

The Pureco group was established by a Hungarian company specialised in rain and waste water treatment, and its technologies have been used by the Budapest Zoo, Liszt Ferenc International Airport, Mercedes in Kecskemét and Thyssenkrupp in Debrecen. The company has also carried out projects in Transylvania, Bulgaria and Vietnam.

Hungary water president
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