Reformed and Lutheran Churches’ environmental organisations sent a letter to the President in Hungary in support of the EU long-term climate strategy for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate-neutral economy by 2050. Below you can read the letter signed by the Presidents of the Eco-Congregation Movement of Reformed Church in Hungary and the Ararat Creation Protection Working Group of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary.
As Protestant environmental organisations, we are extremely pleased by Mr. President’s clear commitment to environmental issues. Your commitment to this cause is apparent from many of your public comments and speeches.
Let us take this opportunity to thank you for your letter sent on the occasion of Creation Time, in which you acknowledge the work we do in the area of care for creation. Our ecumenical cooperation and activities are not limited to Hungary; we are also present on the international scene as active members of the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN), which is closely associated with the Conference of European Churches (CEC). It is in the spirit of this Christian, European commitment that we are now writing to you, Mr. President.
We were filled with pride when, during the ratification debate of the Paris Agreement, you highlighted Hungary having taken a leading role in the fight against climate change: “The bottom line is that for years now, Hungary has been among the first 15 countries in the world based on the Climate Change Performance Index.”
In light of our results achieved so far and our common goals, however, we were sorry to see that during the European Council Summit held on 20 June 2019, Hungary was one of the four countries (along with Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia) that rejected the proposal that by 2050 Europe should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero. Achieving this goal is a joint interest and responsibility that we, as well as future generations, all share.
It is clear that in order to reach our common climate goals we must make significant efforts, and there are countless reasons to cite why it should not be us to take on such burdens. But as you, Mr. President, said back in 2016, we could lead the way in this respect as well: “Hungary is among the 21 countries that have managed to increase their GDP while at the same time reducing emissions.” Each and every country, community and individual must show frugality when considering how much and in what ways they are using the resources of the present and the future.
We respectfully ask you, Mr. President, to do everything in your power to ensure that Hungary is a reliable country in the fight against climate change, and that we support Europe in reaching the 2050 climate goal. This is not merely a national political issue, since there are few continents where there is even a chance for setting such a global, responsible goal.
Ecumenical Office
Download the letter here.
Read more about the Eco Congregation Movement of RCH here and even more here.