{"id":41972,"date":"2020-06-04T17:03:31","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T16:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=41972"},"modified":"2020-06-05T10:35:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T09:35:07","slug":"hungary-sets-2050-climate-neutrality-goal-law-issues-green-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2020\/06\/04\/hungary-sets-2050-climate-neutrality-goal-law-issues-green-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"Hungary sets 2050 climate neutrality goal in law, issues green bond"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hungary has set a climate neutrality goal for 2050, in a law passed by parliament on Wednesday, signalling support for the EU net zero emissions strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 3-page document was significantly watered down<\/a> from a “climate emergency” declaration originally put forward by an opposition lawmaker last August.<\/p>\n

It followed a day after the government issued a \u20ac1.5 billion green bond<\/a>, with the bulk of funds earmarked to run, maintain and upgrade the railway system.<\/p>\n

Climate and energy minister P\u00e9ter Kaderj\u00e1k said in a government statement<\/a> the country was choosing “the path of the future” and could cut emissions while growing the economy.<\/p>\n

In a hint the plans relied on EU funds, he said the costs of moving to net zero emissions should be borne by the big polluters. Brussels should not divert the “cohesion fund” for poorer member states into climate action, Kaderj\u00e1k added.<\/p>\n

Comment:<\/strong> European Green Deal must be central to a resilient recovery after Covid-19<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The law reaffirmed Hungary’s existing 2030 target of a 40% cut in emissions from 1990 levels, leaving the heavy lifting until next decade. In the initial proposal by the green Dialogue party, that would have been strengthened to 55%.<\/p>\n

Zsolt Lengyel, co-founder and chair of the Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy, told Climate Home News the failure to raise the ambition of interim targets showed the government was not serious about climate neutrality.<\/p>\n

The green bond, he said, “qualifies both for a greenwashing prize and a corruption medal”.<\/p>\n

Lengyel, a Hungarian national living in Canada, expressed fears that the money would line the pockets of prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n’s friends and not substantively decarbonise the Hungarian economy.<\/p>\n

On Twitter, former government climate official Andr\u00e1s Husz\u00e1r took a more optimistic line, saying the move was “not imaginable” a couple of months ago and could be the basis for further action.<\/p>\n

\n

Just a couple of months ago it was not imaginable to pass such a law in HU. W r only the 7th country to do so! 2050 net zero is the int benchmark. Wish that 🇨🇳or🇺🇸 would have same plans at least in law…Let’s try to fill the other half of the half empty\/full glass<\/p>\n

\u2014 Andr\u00e1s Husz\u00e1r (@climate_hussar) June 4, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n