Budapest Mayor Signs City Climate Strategy

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has approved the capital city’s new climate strategy, and energy and climate action plan, which sets the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 40% by 2030 against 2015 levels, the Hungarian state news agency MTI reports.

He also approved Budapest’s green infrastructure development and sustainability action plan, according to a package of documents posted on the budapest.hu website. Budapest’s overall energy consumption related to CO2 emission totalled 6,109,183 tons in 2015. The largest emissions originated from the energy consumption of public buildings, followed by transport, the documents show. The largest cut in CO2 emission can be achieved by improving the energy use of buildings and next by increasing the use of public transport and cycling, it said.

The document identifies among the actions the improvement of the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial production and service facilities, as well as increasing the share of renewable energy sources. The actions further include improving the energy efficiency of the transport infrastructure, developing environment-friendly transport methods, increasing the size of green areas, preparations for tackling the effects of climate change during on human health during all seasons, as well as education and climate awareness.

The large-scale program would cost about HUF 2,500 billion (EUR 6.8 bn), part of which would be covered by the municipal council with the rest expected to be provided by using various forms of co-financing including planned contributions by the central government, banks, local districts and Budapest residents, according to the document.

The other comprehensive plan named after Dezső Radó, former director of the metropolitan park maintenance company between 1962 and 1984 and city protection expert, defines goals in developing and sustaining green infrastructure for the benefit of a healthy Budapest. Under the Radó plan, 53 green projects would be implemented with a total budget of HUF 115 billion forints over the next seven years.