Hungarian Conservative

Hungary has the most hot springs in the European Union. The municipal government of Szeged is making a unique effort to try to utilize geothermal energy for its district heating system.

Mol CEO József Molnár emphasized that the technology’s implementation will lead to a reduction in emissions equivalent to removing about 5,500 vehicles from the roads.

Volánbusz is applying for funding for the acquisition of 20 new electric buses and the establishment of related charging infrastructure. The introduction of another twenty e-buses would mean a further reduction of over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

János Áder, Chairman of the Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation and his guest discussed the possibilities and challenges of transitioning to a circular economy for the sake of sustainability.

Áder pointed out that Hungary’s gas consumption decreased by one billion cubic metres, or ten percent, in the past year, and the share of fossil energy in the ‘energy mix’ decreased by one thousand one hundred megawatts.

Áder noted that in Europe alone, 10 to 12 million cars are produced annually, and from 2035 onwards, only electric cars will roll off the assembly lines. This means that in Europe, 10 to 12 million batteries will be needed annually for car production.

Professor András Gelencsér reminded that fossil fuel emissions have continuously increased since the Paris climate accord, except during the COVID period. Regarding the utilization of solar and wind energy, dependent on environmental conditions, Gelencsér stated that the world cannot function without stable electricity production, which requires the use of fossil raw materials or nuclear energy.

The Hungarian justice minister stated that the cost of environmental protection should not be imposed on the poorest countries or the most vulnerable members of societies, but primarily borne by major polluting countries and corporations.

The minister recalled that the Factory Rescue Programme was launched by the government following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, to enable domestic companies to strengthen their independence from the highly unpredictable fluctuations of international energy markets and to preserve jobs and maintain economic performance.

The minister held talks with ministers and was part of an energy conference panel discussion, where he emphasised the importance of renewable energy, electric vehicles and nuclear power.

Europe and Hungary were fortunate to have a mild winter, but ‘a country’s leadership cannot make an unequivocal bet that this will always be repeated,’ Energy Minister Lantos warned. Therefore, the government has decided to raise the level of the security gas reserve. Previously, the country stored 10 per cent of its annual consumption as a security reserve, which was now raised to nearly 2 billion cubic metres, or 20 per cent of consumption, while consumption itself decreased.

Physiocracy played only an episodic role in modern economic political thinking and, therefore, so did the perspective that linked the economy’s performance and ability to produce value to nature.