Hungarians Say Tree Felling is No Solution to the Crisis

The overwhelming majority of Hungarian society rejects the government's plan to tackle the energy emergency by easing logging. This is according to a representative opinion poll commissioned by Greenpeace Hungary and conducted by Policy Solutions and ZRI Závecz Research.

“The government's scandalous firewood decree of August 4 was cosmeticized by a subsequent ministerial order, but, in fact, the government decree, which gives the possibility to destroy and sell off our forests, is still in force. Greenpeace is therefore continuing to call for the repeal of the firewood order, which flouts the will of the people,” the environmental organization writes.

“The vast majority of the Hungarian population does not want our precious forests to be chopped into firewood. They strongly oppose the government's handling of the energy emergency by facilitating logging, and want instead the protection of forests, the use of other renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures. People are now seeing for themselves the consequences of deforestation and the climate crisis. They do not want to live in a deserted, ruined country. They want decision-makers to strictly protect our forests and to tackle the energy crisis not with firewood, but with 21st century methods, solar, wind and geothermal energy, and by increasing energy efficiency," Biodiversity Campaign Officer at Greenpeace Hungary, Katalin Rodics said.

According to the green organization’s representative poll of 500 people, it is clear that the majority of Hungarians reject the firewood regulation. Almost two thirds of respondents (63%) do not consider the abolition of restrictions on logging to be acceptable, citing the energy emergency, and only one in five (22%) said they believe that this measure would address the current energy supply problems. 15% of respondents were unable or unwilling to give an opinion on the measure.

The statement adds that the majority of Hungarians knew that the best energy is unused energy long before the government declared an emergency. An earlier survey, conducted in the fall of 2021, shows that 87% of the population would like the Hungarian government to provide a large financial incentive for energy renovation of residential buildings to significantly reduce energy use in housing.