President János Áder has called for cross-parliamentary cooperation on climate strategy during a parliamentary debate on the National Strategy on Climate Change.
The president said the issue should stand above party politics and Hungary has “both the reason and the possibility” to create a “brave and ambitious” climate policy.
President Áder said the strategy should reflect a common, national stance, as it discusses issues impacting generations.
He added that Hungary has a reason to draft “an ambitious climate strategy” also in view of its location in the Carpathian Basin, which is one of Europe’s most vulnerable regions affected by climate change.
President Áder referred to a solid public support to crafting such a strategy, saying that 83 percent of people view climate change as a serious problem.
The president said Hungary’s most ambitious goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent by 2050.
László Palkovics, the innovation and technology minister, said Hungary could contribute with its strategy to the preservation of living conditions, water resources, arable land and forests, as well as the biodiversity of the Carpathian Basin in the long term. This is Hungary’s national strategy interest, he said.