Climate Friedly Municipalities

Project Leader

Antal Z., László

Participants

Antal Z., László
Takács-Sánta, András

The research

International talks have been in progress almost for two decades which aim at halting and slowing down the adverse trends in climate change. In addition, several countries have already elaborated their own strategy of climate change in which adaptation also plays some role. It is less known that local-level strategies of climate change were prepared in several places already in the 90s and those municipalities have already assembled two international organisations. The elaboration of local-level strategies is justified by the fact that primarily local-level solutions would have to be found for a significant part of the expected consequences. In Hungary the Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences took the initiative of persuading local governments to elaborate their own strategy of climate change already in 2005. In 2007 we has begun to work on this project with three local governments and concluded co-operation agreements with Tatabánya local government. After preliminary talks work in 2007 work began at Tatabánya, Pomáz and Hosszúhetény as a result of which the first local-level climate change strategies have been prepared in Hungary by the late 2007. These comprehensive programmes were prepared in co-operation with the climate circles formed by local residents. The programmes include mitigation as well as adaptation, and also the growth of climate awareness. In addition to considering local conditions we have also utilised the results of similar foreign programmes when preparing the programmes. The body of representatives discussed and approved the strategies at all the three municipalities by the end of the year and the realisation of the set aims can begin in 2008.