Climate Change Act in HungaryThe scientific background,

Views of the National Council for Sustainable Development

István Láng, co-chair of the Council

Climate change creates a risk for the entire Hungarian national economy and society and thus it forms an enforcing power for launching adaptive-preventive actions for the society as a whole. The quality of life of the population, water and land resources, forest ecosystems and the security of food production are endangered by the changing temperature and precipitation conditions, by the potential shifting of the seasons of the year, by the amplification and increased frequency of meteorological and hydrometeorological extreme phenomena. To face the seemingly unavoidable changes the societies need to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and strengthen the adaptive capacities.

Hungarian scientists had forecasted the expectable changes and their harmful impacts already in 1991. The Meteorological Scientific Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences has adopted, in November 1991, a statement on the future of the climate in Hungary. Some statements of this document are quoted below:

„In Hungary we have to deal with the changes of the climate at national level; the more so since these processes will likely result in the deterioration of the environment in many respects. We could contribute to the global efforts with more efficient use of energy resources and with the substitution of fossil fuels with energy resources that do not cause greenhouse gas emissions, with other means of reducing emissions and with the shift to appropriate forest management.

We also need to explore in more details the risk of climate changes along with the details of the related uncertainties. Intensified research into the efficient management of natural resources is needed along with that into the strengthening of environmentally friendly production and consumption behaviours and with the use of the international results of the relevant research and technological development.”

Eighteen years later the Presidential Committee of Environmental Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Science prepared a statement on the changes of the climate and the related tasks in Hungary. In the period between these two declarations (1991 and 2009) the population of the Earth was increased from 5.37 billion to 6.75 billion. This increase was larger than the number of people that was living on Earth at the time of the foundation of the Hungarian Academy of Science in 1825.

According to the model forecasts, referred to in this declaration, considerable temperature rise can be expected in the Carpathian Basin along with certain decreasing of the precipitation and growing dryness (and water scarcity). The growing intensity, frequency and duration of extreme weather phenomena are also expectable. Warming will result in higher summer temperatures and more frequent and lasting heat waves. All these indicate that considerable changes of the climate cannot be avoided. The world of science has a kind of agreement that there is still a possibility of avoiding the catastrophic consequences with the substantial reduction of the emissions and with preparations for adapting to the impacts of climate changes.

Climate policy rests on two basic pillars:

1. Decreasing of emissions (mitigation);

2. Adaptation to expectable conditions, the implementation of defensive strategies.

Hungary fulfils its obligations that stem from the Kyoto Protocol. In accordance with the harmonized standpoint of the European Union Hungary has to decrease its emission with 6% by the year 2012. This target is being achieved time-proportionally and even tradable quota is also available.

The fulfilling of Hungary’s obligation that stem from the Kyoto Protocol is specified as obligation in several government decrees and a law (which latter was adopted by the Hungarian Parliament in 2007).

The system of strategies to be followed was summarized in the Project „Global climate changes: Hungarian impacts and responses project of the short title VAHAVA (an acronym formed from the abbreviation of the Hungarian first letters of the words for Changes-Impacts-Responses). The Project VAHAVA was launched in 2003 jointly by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry for the Environment and Water Management. As it is well known in 2003 there was an extreme heat in Europe and in Hungary 500 deaths were registered as victims of the heat waves.

The Project has been completed in 2006. The Project VAHAVA was a novel synthesizing project of the systems approach type, in which the main focus was on the issues of adaptation to the situations created by the changing climate. The project formulated proposals towards representatives of the government and for the various actors of the society and economy of the country.

The project VAHAVA yielded the scientific basis for the development of the National Climate Change Strategy, which was prepared by the Ministry for the Environment and Water Management and has been univocally adopted by the Hungarian Parliament in March 2008.

This Strategy requested the Government to prepare action programmes for two year periods. These programmes should enhance the implementation of the actions of the Strategy.

The scientific work is being continued. A new programme is being developed with the title of „Climate Change and Safety/security)”. In this programme the investigations of the state of safety and security involve the followings:

• Safety and protection of the natural and near-natural ecosystems and habitats and of biodiversity in general.

• Safety and protection of the properties and quality of life of the population.

• Protection of production and servicing systems needed for the normal operation of the society, that is the protection of „Critical Infrastructures”.

• Security of the undisturbed operation of the economy.

The major factors which can enhance climate-safety/security include the followings:

• Meteorological services,-monitoring of greenhouse gases.

• Catastrophe-defence and ambulance services;- contingency systems of local governments and enterprises.

• Economic and legal regulatory instruments (incentives, restrictions-limitations, prohibitions, penalties).

• Climate-awareness, education, trainings, popular sciences, professional advisory systems.

Stabilisation and decreasing of the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are the long-term means of providing climate-security/safety.

The guarantee for short term climate-security is adaptation, including preventive strategies, defensive strategies and reconstruction/remediation of damaged systems.

These two directions of action do not substitute but supplement each other, and form together the basis of sustainable development, the realisation of the interests of the present population and of the future generations.

The primary task of the Hungarian Climate Change Act under preparation is to provide a schedule for the reduction of greenhouse gas emission for the time horizon of 2050. In addition to this the law will also provide for the improvement of the vegetation cover of the country’s territory and for the development of adaptation strategies and procedures.

Thank you for your kind attention!