Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday met Aleksey Likhachev, the Director-General of Russian energy giant Rosatom, to discuss the upgrade of Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant, the PM’s press chief has said.
The construction of two new blocks at the plant is proceeding according to schedule, and in compliance with Hungarian and European Union regulations, the meeting confirmed. In June, contractors applied for the construction permit of the National Atomic Energy Authority (OAH), and obtained the permit of the Hungarian energy office in November, Bertalan Havasi said.
Construction of the nuclear blocks is expected to start next autumn, they said.
Participants of the meeting agreed that a domestic source of cheap, reliable and clean energy is key to Hungary’s competitiveness. Nuclear and sustainable resources are also essential for the country to achieve its climate protection goals, they said.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and János Süli, the minister without portfolio responsible for the Paks upgrade, also attended the meeting, as did Alexander Merten, the deputy head of the Rusatom International Network and Vladimir Sergeev, Russia’s Ambassador to Hungary.
There is a species of fly called Rhagoletis completa which destroys walnut trees, and it appeared already in Hungary years ago. However, it seems now that it spread everywhere in the country because 93 pc of the farmers told an agriculture-focused Hungarian news website that it causes significant damage to their trees.
According to agroinform.hu, the fly damaged trees in the Western part of the country in the last few years, but it has spread everywhere in Hungary by now. The website received 4,700 answers on its relevant questionnaire. That means that they have a comprehensive enough panorama about the damage that Rhagoletis completa does. The spread of the fly was so quick that
67 pc of the farmers never even encountered this question before.
Among the less-endangered counties of Hungary, there are only two, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Hajdú-Bihar, on the Eastern side of the country. However, 43 and 36 pc of the respondents knew about the problem even in these two regions.
Ten pc of the farmers do not know what to do while 41 pc try to collect the fruit before the flies can harm them. If they manage to separate the shell in time, they can save the walnut inside. 25 pc said that they could not do anything, so they decided to keep the trees to provide shade during the summer, and
they hope that they will be able to buy an efficient pesticide soon.
15 pc is thinking about spraying, and nine pc would rather cut down the trees.
Only eight pc of the respondents have more than ten trees, but only 35 pc of them would spray their trees to extinguish the vermins. That is because they would need machines to do so, and the perfect timing is also imperative. Others collect the walnut and destroy it, and some bought poultry to prevent the larvas from getting into the earth. 26 pc of those having ten or more trees said that they use bug zappers.
Bence Bolyki, CEO of Agroinform, said that nobody should worry that walnuts would disappear from Hungary because big farmers would be able to protect their trees. However, those having some trees in their garden will probably have to accept that they will no longer be able to eat their fruit.
The Rhagoletis completa is indigenous in the USA and Mexico,
but it popped up in Europe in the ’80s while it first appeared in Hungary in 2011.
According to experts, 13 thousand people die in Hungary because of the polluted air, which is as harmful as smoking. Hungary is currently fourth on the list of those countries that have the worst air quality in the European Union.
The Climate Policy Institute of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) shared its research regarding the issue yesterday, which says that, lately, the government has implemented many measures to decrease air pollution in the country. György Kerekes, the director of the institute, added that the government tightened the energy performance standards for the newly-built houses and flats from 2021 which
can help a lot in reducing the amount of energy needed for heating.
For example, they banned people from burning fallen leaves and started to support programmes aiming at the development of heating systems and improving the energy efficiency of the buildings, Napi reported.
Mr Kerekes stated that people can also do a lot to improve air quality. He reminded that Hungary is the fourth on the list of those countries in the European Union that have the worst air quality. He said that the outdated heating systems cause a lot of problems during winters. However,
not only the devices and their technologies are old, but the fuel people burn in them are also low quality (rags, rubbish, plastics).
Air quality could be improved already in the short run by the modernisation of the heating systems and using high-quality fuel like briquet or pellets. In the long run, on the other hand, renewable energy produced by households as well as heating system development could be the solution. The quantity of particulate matter (PM) could be reduced if the government provided dry firewood for everybody in need.
80 pc of the PM in Hungary comes from Poland and Romania.
Therefore, Hungarian efforts are not enough, and regional cooperation is inevitable to reduce their PM emission.
According to mcc.hu, the Mathias Corvinus Collegium and the Századvég Foundation established the Climate Policy Institute. It has sprung from the founders’ understanding that climate change and preparing for its effects will be significant social and economic policy issues in the coming years. Adaptation to climate change requires a new strategy and the coordination of hitherto distant disciplines that the professional workshop wishes to undertake.
The studies of the Climate Policy Institute focus on five areas:
energy, nature conservation, agriculture, the protection of inanimate environmental elements (water, air, soil), and urbanism.
This professional workshop is intended to accommodate a green approach and to contribute to the training of responsibly minded and acting citizens necessary for successful environment protection and nature conservation. The director of the Institute is Dr György Kerekes, a lawyer specialised in environmental law.
The airport is a city in a city: a facility operating day and night on 1500 hectares, with full infrastructure, its own Police and fire-fighter units, its own drinking water wells and even a boiler house. From this power center, heat energy is transmitted to 85 heating centers throughout the airport, via an approximately 16 kilometer long pipeline network. This system is responsible for supplying heating and hot water to the airport buildings, and even warm water for the de-icing of aircraft.
Budapest Airport recently commenced the refurbishment of heating centers, in order to save a considerable amount of energy, for environmental protection reasons. By the end of the summer, a total of 2551 fixtures were insulated, using heat insulating covers lined with glass wool. The more than 2500 fixtures operate with a heating output of 370 kW, which is equivalent to the output of 180 oil heaters.
The “coats” to prevent the heat loss result in a saving of approximately 170 000 m3 of natural gas, which, according to data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, equals the annual natural gas consumption of 165 households. Thanks to the development, annual carbon dioxide emissions will also be reduced by 340 tons – such a large quantity that 15 500 trees would be needed to absorb it.
The airport’s district heating system supplies more than a hundred buildings; hangars, logistics halls, office buildings, fire service and ambulance stations, Police buildings and of course the passenger terminals.
BUD’s sustainability efforts internationally rewarded twice in one month
Sustainability is a key priority for Budapest Airport; the company has managed to maintain its carbon neutral status for three years now, and committed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from airport operations to zero by 2050. The airport operator received two international awards in the space of a month. In October, it was recognized for innovation introduced in the area of sustainable shopping and in November for reducing the environmental impacts of ground transportation involving the airport.
Hungary is joining Europe’s battery industry with a view to advancing the transition to green transport, vehicle manufacturing and energy, the innovation and technology ministry (ITM) said on Wednesday.
The ministry, in cooperation with EU-supported EIT InnoEnergy, has launched consultations in the sector with the aim of drawing up a national battery strategy by the end of the year.
The ITM statement said Hungary must pay heed to large-scale trends so as to sustain its domestic automotive industry and international competitiveness in the long run. Top quality energy storage is key to this goal, it added.
Noting Europe’s aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,
the ministry said Hungary has undertaken to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.
Péter Kaderják, ITM state secretary for energy and climate policy, said the cooperation EIT InnoEnergy would help boost Hungarian economic growth and embed the country deeper into Europe’s supply chain.
Diego Pavia, CEO of EIT InnoEnergy, said
developments in central Europe would play a key role in greening Europe’s energy sector.
The action plan will involve enterprises and the authorities, as well as representatives of science and finance, in workshops and consultations, the statement said, adding that Hungary’s battery strategy will enable it to form an integral part of the European Battery Association through the expansion of international cooperation.
Poliloop’s bacteria cocktail is able to consume any single-use plastic in seven weeks. In fact, their process is able to remove the plastic without any prior chemical treatment, processing, or major cleaning, and no harmful substances are released during the process.
Poliloop’s bacteria cocktail would free the world of plastic, Forbes writes.
The team behind Poliloop
Poliloop was founded by Hungarian Liz Madaras (CEO) and Krisztina Lévay (CTO), who met at Budapest University of Technology and Economics during their masters in Pharmaceutical Engineering. Gábor Antal joined them to deal with operational and back-office tasks, and their team was recently joined by Colin Helm responsible for sales and advertisement.
Poliloop joined American Techstars’ three-month Abu Dhabi program at the beginning of 2019, where they received advice on starting and developing a business, as well as how to develop their product.
The method
Liz and Krisztina wanted to find a way in which their professional knowledge could help the Earth. They started doing lab research in their free time and on the weekends using whatever resources they had. The final cocktail is the product of 2 years of research.
Their bacterial cocktail basically consumes plastic packaging waste. The cocktail can consume all types of single-use plastic in 6-8 weeks.
They can use the carbon in plastic as a sole carbon source, integrating it into their metabolism. The process is akin to the way organic waste is consumed in composting piles, but the raw materials here are fossil-based. Their bacteria can turn what was once a fossil-based product (plastic packaging) into what it originally was, millions of years ago, part of the natural ecosystem of Earth. This way, bioplastic can be created. Thus, the same plastic packaging can be used over and over again.
They have recently started doing industrial testing, after Vespucci Partners and Techstars both invested in Poliloop. Several Fortune 500 companies have already indicated their interest in working with Poliloop.
Their mission
“Our mission is to provide an eco-friendly and scalable answer to the crisis. We aim to offer an industrially relevant solution to deal with unrecyclable plastics by mimicking nature, using the once polluting plastic waste as a carbon-rich food source for our bacteria, who in turn create valuable end-product for us to use and integrate into a global circular ecosystem.”
For the first time, the Arctic sea ice is not yet freezing in late October – the unusual phenomenon could result in extreme weather conditions in the upcoming winter.
The delay of the annual freeze could bring an extremely cold winter, Portfolioreports. Based on data from the Hungarian Meteorological Service, while the extent of sea ice in the Arctic in September 2020 was recorded the second lowest, in October, it reached a record-low level. The freeze-up takes a completely different pace now; the recovering of the ice is much slower than ever before.
But how does this affect the weather?
The atmosphere of the large area, the transport of saltier water towards the Arctic Ocean, and the above-normal surface temperature of the ice-free water can produce positive feedback mechanisms, which can then cause a delay in freezing.
If the temperature on the arctic permanently remains 15-20 degrees Celsius above the average, it can have an effect on the jet stream; if the jet stream loses its strength, it can cause extreme weather conditions, like unusual cold and warm periods.
About the jet stream…
Studies show that the jet stream and the arctic freezing have a mutual effect on each other. The jet stream is a stream of air that flows around the globe. When such weather anomalies stop the Arctic sea ice from freezing, the power of the jet stream will weaken. Consequently, warmer air outbreak on the North and colder air outbreak on the South will bring the extremely cold winter to Europe or North America.
President János Áder is launching a bi-weekly podcast focused on environmental issues and climate change, public media has reported.
In the podcast entitled “Blue Planet”, the president will discuss issues like the challenges presented by climate change, the water crisis and transitioning to a circular economy and a sustainable way of life with the field’s leading experts. The first episode will see Áder and environmental economist Gábor Bartus discuss China’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060.
In his virtual address at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country aims to have its carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Bartus said Chinese society was beginning to notice that the country’s economic rise had come at the cost of extreme air pollution. Most cities in China have become “unlivable”, he said, adding that the country faced a high number of premature deaths attributable to air pollution.
Áder said Xi’s announcement could hardly be considered surprising,
noting China’s significant contributions to the production of sustainable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles.
The first episode will be available online from 10am on Monday.
Hungary will be among the first countries to join the hydrogen coalition planned by the European Commission, as it sees “serious opportunities” in the production of pure hydrogen, László Palkovics, the innovation and technology minister, said on Wednesday.
Palkovics issued a statement after meeting Frans Timmermans, the commissioner responsible for Europe’s Green Deal, and noted the large expense of hydrogen production and storage, saying that uniform EU regulations and coordinated developments were “absolutely necessary”.
Palkovics briefed Timmermans on Hungary’s climate goals, as well as discussing hydrogen production and environmentally friendly transport. The combined use of nuclear and solar energy will help Hungary attain its climate goals, he said, adding that hydrogen, too, could play a role in the greening of transport.
Hungary, he noted, is making strenuous efforts to decarbonise transport, having introduced the Green Bus scheme which aims to replace public transport buses in larger cities with electric ones.
Palkovics said Hungary had reduced its carbon emissions by a third compared with 1990 levels and the country’s greenhouse gas emissions per person were less than three-quarters of the European average.
The Budapest Climate Summit, held for the first time this year, was kicked off on Oct. 9, the statement noted.
Hungarian President János Áder, in a videoconference of the leaders of central and eastern European countries on Monday, called for greater cooperation among the region’s countries to prevent water pollution.
Addressing a virtual summit of the Three Sees Initiative organised by Estonia, the president said the region should devote at least as much attention to preserving the quality of its waters as it does to the development of its man-made infrastructure.
The 13 countries making up the Three Seas Initiative are linked by several rivers, he noted,
underlining the importance of cross-border pollution.
Whether it be industrial, agricultural or solid waste pollutants that are damaging the region’s waters, there can be no quality water supply without clean water, Áder said.
The president noted the new patches of plastic waste originating from Ukraine and Romania that were found floating on the River Tisza last week. The goal should not be pollution but rather cooperation to prevent pollution, Ader said.
The Three Seas Initiative,
a strategic partnership of 13 central and eastern European countries,
aims to promote joint infrastructure development in the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea regions.
Featured image: https://www.facebook.com/saairphoto
One of the biggest surprises of the 2019 local elections was that Gergely Karácsony, the joint candidate of the Hungarian opposition parties, became the Lord Mayor of Budapest, our favourite city. Most of our readers are foreigners living in Budapest, foreigners who have already been in Budapest, and foreigners who plan to travel to Budapest. Last year was difficult not only because of the coronavirus epidemic but also because of the conflict with the government. Daily News Hungary asked the Lord Mayor about the successes and failures of the previous year, and we could get answers on some personal questions, as well as the Lord Mayor’s standpoint on the Airbnb issue.
Let us start with a typical question: what are the three issues you are the proudest of from the past year?
I think the agreement we signed with the government about developing the healthcare system of Budapest is very important. Thanks to that, there are no waiting lists for CT and MRI diagnostics in the case somebody is suspected to have cancer. More and more people are adopting the idea of
creating a green and sustainable city.
Furthermore, the number of those commuting with bicycles rose significantly after we created new lanes and started to organise the already existing segments into a coherent system.
Photo: facebook.com/varosliget.budapest/
I also think that involving all citizens of the capital, civil organisations, and local communities in the decision-making process is another important step forward. Thanks to that, we could preserve more green areas in the Tabán, and we could reach a compromise in the case of the traffic on the Grand Boulevard.
Besides the successes, there were probably setbacks as well. What were the biggest ones and what were the lessons?
Because of the coronavirus epidemic, we had trash plans, and due to the economic crisis, it meant we had to postpone a lot of development projects. Furthermore, the government chose not to help but to take away further financial resources from the capital.
Gergely Karácsony.
I am very sorry that I could not make the government understand that their cooperation with the local governments had no alternative.
If we do not fight side by side, there can only be losers.
What gigantic projects affecting tourists and tourism were inaugurated in the past one year?
Nobody can complete such projects in only one year, especially if we spend most of it fighting against the greatest epidemic of the last 100 years, and we still cannot see the end of that struggle. However, there are important developments we can inaugurate in the next couple of years. Even though it started to be a money consuming project, we could correct it and will finish the city zoo’s biodome which, together with the zoo, will be an attractive target for all tourists visiting the capital. We might finish that project before 2024 together with the building of the new Gellért Hill funicular which can help us get rid of the buses polluting the area. Meanwhile,
tourists can enjoy one of the most excellent views of our capital while they travel to the top of the hill.
The Gellért Hill in Budapest. Photo: www.facebook.com/BarnaArchitects
I think that the renovation of the M3 metro line is also important. We will inaugurate its southern segment on October 22. Afterwards, we will start to renew the downtown section of the line, and soon we will be able to start the renovation of the Chain Bridge, one of the iconic symbols of our city.
Airbnb revolutionised tourism and offered perfect opportunities for a lot of people planning to travel abroad since they could rent an apartment or a room much cheaper than in a hotel. Thanks to that, not only the wealthy but also the poor could travel. However, many metropolises already banned it while in Hungary, the Parliament allowed local governments to decide. What is your standpoint on the issue?
I agree that it is good if somebody can travel for less money, but I remember that before the outbreak of the epidemic, an Airbnb flat was more expensive than a hotel room. However,
what tourists see as a good opportunity is a difficulty for locals.
Airbnb flats significantly reduced offer on the long-term real estate rental market, causing a great increase in prices. Now, tourism broke down because of the virus and Airbnb flats are back in the rental market, so prices decreased. As the Lord Mayor of Budapest, I have to cope with the effects of the housing crisis. For example, there are many young people whose parents cannot buy a flat and they cannot pay rental prices because their salaries are not enough.
It would be better to return to a sharing economy during which we share the spare capacities of our homes instead of running a hotel in the grey zone. It harms more people, and only a few benefit from it.
The party district of Budapest attracts many Hungarians and foreign tourists alike but disturbs the everyday life of the locals. How can this problem be solved?
Tourism, which hopefully returns to Budapest next year, is important for Budapest, and its lack causes significant problems for our budget. However, locals entrusted me to represent their interests, just like Péter Niedermüller, the mayor of District 7, where the party district is. The downtown of the city became almost unlivable because of the pollution, the traffic, and the “bachelor party tourism” built on the low cost of alcohol in Hungary. District 7 started to
harmonise the different interests,
but it is not an easy task. It would be better if a new kind of tourism returned to Budapest after the epidemic. One that is not concentrated exclusively on the inner districts but spreads out everywhere in the city. Budapest has many treasures that are not on the postcards.
When you welcome a foreign guest, what do you show them in Budapest?
I never leave out the Danube embankment. The river is a unique opportunity for our city, but we do not take advantage of it. I hope that shortly we will use the riverbanks differently.
The capitals of the Visegrad 4 (Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest) have a strong relationship. What successes can you name regarding this cooperation and what plans do you have?
My colleagues in Warsaw, Bratislava, or Prague and me are in the same boat. We are all progressive leaders of our community, but our governments are mostly right-wing populists. We have similar problems with similar solution proposals. For example, we turned together to the European Union, asking them to provide direct financial resources for the cities. As a result, we could skip the government’s approval, and
it would not depend on their goodwill to start developments.
Furthermore, we took a huge step ahead in the case of the EU’s financial support helping to ease the effects of the economic and social crisis caused by the epidemic since the rescue package already has a majority in the European Parliament.
We took a look: Budapest currently has 18 twin cities which is a respectable number. How can a citizen living in Budapest benefit from this?
A friend in need is a friend indeed. This proverb is true about our twin city relationships as well. When the virus hit us and neither our social nor our healthcare institutions were prepared, our Chinese twin cities, Beijing and Shanghai, helped a lot and sent protective equipment for us.
Photo: www.facebook.com/ZoltanGaborPhotography
We forwarded them immediately to our social institutions, retirement homes, and homeless shelters, so these probably
saved human lives.
We regularly speak with my Lord Mayor colleagues, for example, recently I talked with my counterpart in Berlin, Vienna, and Ankara.
Budapest is a metropolis where a lot of people live. The number of foreigners who have chosen to live here exceed 100 thousand. How would you like to address them?
For example, with this interview. ? Budapest is an open, inclusive city, and we are very proud that so many foreigners have chosen to live here. It meant a lot that during the first wave of the epidemic, many societies like the Chinese and the Vietnamese offered their help to the city and provided thousands of masks, food, and helped social care.
If you lived abroad, which city would you choose?
I like to live in Hungary, in Budapest. I would never live anywhere else, I feel at home here. There are many cities from which it is good to learn because leaders there pay attention to what locals say, and they understand the challenges brought by climate change. For example, Paris and Vienna.
Turning to politics, let us look forward a bit. The cooperation of the opposition parties will probably define 2021, but there are still some debatable issues. Which one do you support: one opposition list or two lists? One or more candidates in the constituencies?
There is an agreement about one opposition candidate against the candidate of the government parties in the constituencies. That is an important baseline. Furthermore, the opposition parties started to write their program, which will enable us to present our offer to the citizens.
Together with the V4 mayors. Photo: facebook.com/karacsonygergely/
It is not enough to say we are not the Fidesz. We have to show the people what we would do differently in Hungary. We have to show how we would build a fairer, more liveable, and trustworthy country where not the people of the power but the power of the people govern.
Who do you think will be your government-backed opponent in 2024? Fidesz probably has a well-designed strategy in this respect since the importance of the capital cannot be doubted. We think about four possible choices in this case: Balázs Fürjes, the Secretary of State responsible for the development of Budapest and its agglomeration, Zsolt Láng, the leader of Fidesz in the Budapest City Council, István Tarlós, the former Lord Mayor, and Dávid Vitézy, the director of the Budapest Development Centre. Which one do you think will be your challenger?
Those should make a decision in this matter whose task is to determine such things, I would not like to make guesses. But I can recommend primaries which were useful in our case.
Finally, if you allow a personal question. Do you have a secret place in Budapest where you can hide to find inspiration or to relax?
It is hard to “hide” in the city because people recognise me everywhere, address me, and we talk. Provided I would like to relax, we go to the Balaton Uplands with my family where there are some secret places. We were there in the summer, I needed that.
Gergely Karácsony: born on 11 June 1975, he is a Hungarian political scientist, politician, and a member of the Hungarian National Assembly (MP) from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, he was elected the Mayor of Zugló (District 14). From October 13, 2019, he has been serving as the Lord Mayor of Budapest.
Hungarian companies will undertake a 30-billion dollar project aimed at rehabilitating Lake Laguna, the largest lake in the Philippines, including water purification and monitoring water quality, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after talks in Manila on Thursday.
Hungary will also deliver water purification equipment to all regions of the Philippines contributing to that country’s drinking water supplies, the minister said following his talks with Teodoro Locsin, his Philippine counterpart, and Ramon Loopze, the minister of trade and industry.
Szijjártó noted that 400-sqkm Lake Laguna was heavily polluted, and could not be used for tourism or any other purposes. The rehabilitation project, financed from the Hungarian tied-aid programme, is expected to change that situation.
The minister said that the Hungarian government was ready to assist Hungarian companies in other countries, in view of an increasing competition for foreign market positions.
He added that Southeast Asia’s environmental challenges called for Hungarian technologies such as those employed in water management. “There is a huge demand for Hungarian water management solutions in the Philippines,” he said.
Szijjártó said he also promoted Hungarian food products in Manila. “We have a good chance that once the swine and bird flu epidemics are over, Hungarian poultry and pork products can return to the Philippine’s dynamically expanding market,” he said.
Szijjártó also urged that the European Union should resume free trade talks with the Philippines “lightning fast” and insisted that “the freer it is to export to the Philippines, the better for Hungarian companies”. He insisted that Hungary was interested in “making the global economy more open, free and fair”.
Hungary and the Philippines are in close cooperation in international organisations aimed at providing protection to persecuted Christian communities worldwide, Szijjártó said.
“We now have to make it clear that Christianity has become the most persecuted religion. As a country with a strong Christian culture we consider it as an obligation to fight for those Christian communities,” Szijjártó said.
Because of the pandemic, millions of people wear single-use masks each day, but many people throw them away carelessly in the streets, not knowing how it will affect the environment. Here is how you can dispose of them safely, and other tips on how to live a more sustainable and environment-friendly life.
Most common recycling mistakes people make
When you can choose between a plastic bottle or a metal can, pick the metal option, as it can be recycled easier than plastic.
Although paper bags need trees to be cut down in order to be made, they are still more environmentally friendly, as they can be recycled indefinitely, without losing much of its quality, while plastic bags can be recycled only once or twice maximum, and their quality worsens in the process. Another good alternative to single-use plastic bags is a canvas bag – it takes way more resources to make a canvas bag than a plastic one; however, they can be used for many years, and in case they rip, they can easily be fixed with a few stitches; they also decompose significantly easier and quicker than plastic.
Rinse plastic bottles, containers, and milk boxes before throwing them in the trash. Make sure to also check the label on them so that you know you can actually put them in the recycling bin. However, when it comes to oil bottles or containers, do not rinse them but simply throw them in the regular trash, as the oil down the drain would harm aquatic creatures and wildlife. Rinsing bottles is also important because if there is any liquid still in them, it could contaminate the other materials beside it, making them unfit for recycling.
Shredded or smaller pieces of paper are harder to sort through and recycle. Many times, glossy or coloured paper cannot be recycled, so check any labels on their packaging to make sure you throw them in the correct bin.
The plastic caps of bottles should either be removed and thrown into the trash, or after removal, all the air should be squeezed out of the bottle, and the lid should be put back on. Bottles with air trapped inside them are much harder to recycle and might use up more energy than necessary.
Disposable coffee cups, chips bags, toothpaste tubes, tissues, and the containers of microwavable meals cannot be recycled.
During autumn and winter, many take supplementary vitamins, but they might not know that many of these bottles are manufactured differently and so cannot be recycled with other plastics. Always make sure to check the label. And what about vitamins and pills that come in blister or bubble packs? Because these packagings are made of plastic and tin foil, two components that cannot be recycled together, you should not throw them in the recycle bin.
Food waste
Those who have compost in their home or closely available to them should not throw fruit and vegetable peel or eggshells into their trash. Other compostable things include coffee grounds, grass clippings, fallen leaves, tea leaves, rinds of melons and citrus, old vegetables that cannot be eaten, fallen flowers and dead plants, plain rice and pasta, herbs and spices, corn cobs and broccoli stalks, sawdust and nutshells.
Old clothes
If you have clothes you do not need or wear anymore, you can either try selling them or donating them to charities or thrift shops. If they are torn and cannot be worn anymore, you can check if there is a textile collection near you, but H&M has an option in many countries where you can bring in old textiles and clothes, and they will forward them to the appropriate places to be recycled.
Single-use face masks
When disposing of your face mask, make sure to cut the strap before throwing it away, this will ensure that no animal gets entangled in it, and it will not harm the wildlife. Many experts suggest double-bagging your used mask, to make sure the infection does not spread. And never put them in the recycling bin.
Felix Salten published his world-famous book, Bambi, in 1923, and Walt Disney made an even more famous animated film from it in 1942. However, only a few know that Mr Salten was of Hungarian origins.
According to Index, Mr Salten was born on September 6, 1869, under the name of Zsigmond Salzmann in Budapest. He was the grandson of an Orthodox rabbi. When he was only four weeks old, his family moved to Vienna, Austria. That is because the city granted full citizenship to Jews in 1867, so many Jews immigrated there during the late 19th century. Since his father became bankrupt, he could not finish his schooling, and the 16-year-old boy started to work for an insurance agency. He also began submitting poems and book reviews to journals.
As a result, he could start working as a journalist and editor for the Allgemeine Kunst-Chronik or the Frankfurter Zeitung. He was always interested in literature and wrote analyses and papers about poems and books.
He became famous thanks to his obituary written about Emile Zola.
He was a well-known literary critic and published his works including essays, novels, and guide books one after the other, one book per year on average. Since antisemitism was growing in the 1930s, he had to leave Austria. After he went to Switzerland, the German government banned all his works. He lived in Zürich until his death on October 8, 1945.
His most famous work is Bambi, a coming-of-age novel,
originally published in Berlin by Ullstein Verlag. The novel traces the life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and the experience he gains about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest.
It was translated into English in 1928. The novel was well-received by critics and is considered a classic, as well as
one of the first environmental novels.
Walt Disney Productions adapted the story into a theatrical animated film in 1942 titled Bambi. Interestingly, two Russian live-action adaptations were made in 1985 and 1986, a ballet in 1987, and a stage production in 1998. Janet Schulman published a children’s picture book adaptation in 2000 that featured realistic oil paintings and many of Salten’s original words.
This week has been an exceptional one for European lawmakers who back a tougher climate policy line, as the parliament plenary has approved the amendments to the European Climate Law that envisions climate neutrality by 2050 as a binding goal for European Union.
“Wrapping up the week. One step forward towards a sustainable continent!” Lidia Pereira, a Portuguese member of the European Parliament, tweeted on Friday.
“The approval of the Climate Law represents a major milestone in Europe’s commitment with younger generations!” she rejoiced.
The parliament announced on Thursday the adoption of its negotiating mandate on the law with 392 votes in favour, 161 votes against, and 142 abstentions, after two days of debate and voting sessions.
Commenting on the voting result, European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans tweeted that the parliament, with its vote on the climate law, sends a strong message about the need for ambition in tackling the climate crisis.
“This is a historic moment,” claimed Jytte Guteland, a Swedish MEP who was the parliament’s rapporteur on the proposed Climate Law.
Guteland said the climate law is indeed the cornerstone of the European Green Deal as it enshrines in the legislation the EU’s objectives to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest.
The MEPs also backed a new target of 60 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990, up from the 55 percent goal proposed by the European Commission.
If natural sinks, which are natural storages of CO2 such as soil, forests and oceans, are to be taken into account in greenhouse gas reduction, the 55 percent target is in fact a CO2 emission reduction of only 51-53 percent, said Guteland during the debate. This will not be enough, as natural sinks are shrinking, she argued.
An interim target for 2040 should also be set as soon as possible after a thorough impact assessment, as demanded by the lawmakers.
According to Guteland, the new law, which is becoming binding for both the EU and its individual member states to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, will encourage solidarity between member states, as they all have different starting points and no one shall be left behind.
An independent scientific body, the European Climate Change Council (ECCC), will be established in order to monitor and advise the EU on its progress toward climate neutrality, according to the approved amendments.
After the voting, the European Parliament will need to start negotiations with the EU member states before a final version of the law is agreed on.
“Once (EU) Council has set its position, we should be able to quickly decide on putting climate neutrality by 2050 into law. That’s European leadership,” said Timmermans on Thursday.
The EU climate law was initially put forward by the European Commission in March 2020, following a decision of the European Council in 2019 to become climate-neutral by 2050.
The European Union is eager to lead the global climate action, and advocates have been encouraged to see other countries and regions following suit, with China pledging carbon neutrality before 2060 and South Africa transitioning from a system heavily relying on fossil fuel to renewable energies.
Thirteen people have suffered severe gas poisoning and another 15 light injuries in an industrial accident at a bioethanol plant in Dunaföldvár, in central Hungary, on Friday. A seven-cubic-metre outdoor tank was refilled with an inappropriate substance, causing a chemical reaction which produced chlorine gas, the spokesman of Tolna County’s disaster management directorate told MTI.
Firefighters were at the site working to prevent the spread of the toxic gas, Péter Köves said. Also, industrial safety specialists and the disaster management’s mobile laboratory are on site taking measurements and appropriate action, he added.
MTI/Vasvári Tamás
As no concentrated presence of the toxic gas has been measured in the air beyond the plant,
local residents are not in any danger,
he said. Pál Győrfi, the spokesman of the national ambulance service, told MTI that several ambulances, four helicopters and a medical unit specialising in mass accidents have been dispatched to the scene.
All those injured received medical aid
and were taken to nearby hospital for further medical assessments, he said.
It is an ancient desire of the Hungarian biking community to connect the Hungarian and the Austrian capital with a bike path because many would like to discover the beauties between these two amazing cities of Central-Europe. Of course, the demand from tourists for such a route was also palpable in the last few years, and it seems now that Hungary can make a further step in the project.
According to index.hu, the Eurovelo 6 bike path is going to be built on the right-hand side of the Danube. The National Infrastructure Developing Private Company Limited (NIF) would like to create a new, 14 kilometres long section now of the bike road. The segment is between Komárom and Gönyű and
the plans include two bridges for the bikers, as well, in Ács and Nagyszentjános.
The National Infrastructure Developing Private Company is now searching for a contractor, which will build the bike path and the bridges – magyarepitok.hu reported. Before, the company announced a tender for building a 7.5 kilometres long segment between Dunaalmás and Neszmély. Still, the website did not say anything about whether that was successful, and they found the construction partner.
The new segment between Komárom and Gönyű will use already existing dirt roads and will build new ones near the Danube.
The duration of the project will be 14 months after the NIF finds the contractor.
One of the bridges will be in Ács and will connect the two banks of the Concó stream. The 12 metres long pon will be of reinforced concrete. The other one will cross the Cuhai-Bakony river with a similar bridge.
Concerning the health of our natural environment, it is quite a positive phenomenon that in recent years, the iconic predators of Hungary have returned to their homeland. However, it is still not easy to ensure that these highly protected, ecologically beneficial animals live in a balanced way with humans. Let us see the possible solutions.
In Europe, large carnivores are categorised into four species, based on which we can say that by now all top three native predators of Hungary have returned to their homeland.
Brown bear – several specimens appear in Hungary, mainly in the North Hungarian Mountains where living conditions are the most favourable.
Grey wolf – they live in the North Hungarian Mountains, including the Aggtelek Karst and the Bükk and Zemplén Mountains where several wolf herds were spotted, consisting of 6-10 individuals. Some specimens were also found in the Börzsöny Mountains and Somogy and Baranya Counties.
Eurasian lynx – they lead a lonely, hidden lifestyle in the Börzsöny, Bükk, Mátra, Zemplén, and Aggtelek Karst areas.
Wolverine – native to the Scandinavian region.
Typically, all three species avoid humans; however, this does not mean that new specimens may not appear in new places; still, the growth of their number is insignificant.
According to Dr László Patkó, the appearance of large carnivores have a positive effect on the environment. Consequently, forests could regenerate and the loss of agricultural land could be reduced, as a result of which more natural habitat could be provided for the protected species of flora and fauna.
Besides these beneficial factors, the presence of large carnivores has a dangerous side effect as well if we consider their wildness towards other animals.
Therefore, keeping animals in closed night shelters or under constant supervision is quite recommended.
There are several unique solutions, by which farmers can defend themselves and their animals, including an electric shepherd and watchdogs.
As Hungarian news portal 24 reports, a good example was seen in Zemplén. The sheep were sleeping on the meadow, surrounded by an electric fence, when a wolf came by, looking for a weak point in the fence. However, two watchdogs appeared on the other side, as a result of which the wolf finally left. Thanks to the double defence that was realised by combining the traditional method and modern technology, the predator had no chance to attack the targeted animals.
