Climate, air pollution and energy in Hungary

Abstract

Within five to ten years, Hungary will have to design an overall environmental policy. In the meantime, Hungarian decision makers have an opportunity to make preparations in order to meet domestic as well as global environmental challenges without having to pay too much. The report discusses the main challenges for environmental policy making in Hungary. Man-made emissions of various compounds to air may have local, regional and global effects. Counter-measures will generally affect emissions of several compounds with consequences in particular for health, materials, vegetation and climate. All important effects should be included in assessments of the measures. This report provides a background for a comprehensive, integrated view of environmental control using data from Hungary with emphasis on the energy sector. It is pointed out that environmental considerations must be included in the legislation to a larger extent than hitherto. Uncertainties in many steps in the analysis are large and only some tentative estimates of damages due to emissions are included. In spite of this, the results give an improved basis for including environmental issues in the future climate and energy policy in Hungary.