Government: nuclear investments preserve Earth

Preserving the Earth for future generations and meeting climate targets is contingent on making investments in nuclear energy and the electric vehicle industry, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a panel discussion on energy affairs in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Green targets – no politics

Hungary’s government aims to maintain a well-balanced approach to investments in energy and environmental protection as both aspects are needed to boost competitiveness, the foreign ministry cited Szijjártó as saying. “We never considered a green deal or green targets as political or ideological issues but ways to protect the planet for future generations,” he said. Instead of seeking to profit from political communications, the international community should prepare well-grounded, pragmatic and realistic strategies, he said. Hungary is one of fewer than twenty countries in the world that has managed in recent years to reduce harmful emissions while boosting economic growth, he said.

Green change realistically – goes the video’s title:

As part of this strategy, Hungary will become climate neutral by 2050, and by expanding nuclear and solar energy capacities, 90 percent of electricity production will become carbon neutral by 2030 as against the current 65 percent, he added. Solar energy capacity will grow from the current 4,500 megawatts to 12,000 megawatts by 2050 and nuclear energy capacity from 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts, he said. Szijjártó warned that burden-sharing could not be called fair when countries that contribute to climate change the least suffer its consequences the most. The largest polluters should take a much greater role in cutting their emissions, he said.