Information on national adaptation actions reported under the Governance Regulation
Reporting updated until: 2023-03-14
Item | Status | Links |
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Meteorological observations |
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Climate projections and services |
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Adaptation portals and platforms |
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Monitoring, reporting and evaluation (MRE) indicators and methodologies |
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Key reports and publications |
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National communication to the UNFCCC | ||
Governance regulation adaptation reporting |
The country had a forest coverage of 20.8% in 2019.
Most of the territory of the Carpathian basin is covered by the Pannonian biogeographical region. Due to its isolation from other geographical regions, unique flora and fauna evolved in the area, including several endemic and relictum endemic species. Many of these species can not be found in any other places in the world. Around 42 000 animal species and 3 000 plant species are identified in the territory.
Hungary has a moderate climate with a significant continental influence. According to the Hungarian Meteorological Service (HMS) long-term statistics and the National Adaptation Geo-information System's data, the average mean annual temperature of the region has increased by 1.23 C° between 1901 and 2018. This increase is far higher than the estimated 0.9 C° mean annual temperature on the global scale. Nowadays, the mean annual temperature in Hungary is 10.3 C° on average. Any differences from that temperature are typical only in smaller areas where topographical factors determine that. The biggest increase can be experienced in the summer months and in the Southern Great Plain.
Annual precipitation is 590 mm on average, considering the normal period of 1981–2010. Even the precipitation dispersion shows a really diverse pattern in space and time. On a seasonal scale, the average precipitation is 140 mm in spring, 200 mm in summer, 145 mm in autumn, and 110 mm in winter. The spatial distribution of precipitation is determined by the seas' distance, primarily the Mediterranean Sea and topology. In the driest parts of the Hungarian Great Plain, some areas have annual precipitation less than 500 mm, and there are vast regions that have multiannual average precipitation of 500-550 mm. The typical annual precipitation in the southwestern border region and the Bakony Mountains is higher than 700 mm. Higher, nearly 800 mm precipitation occurs in small spots only in the vicinity of the Mátra and Bükk mountains' summits and the Koszeg Mountain.
No clear change can be demonstrated in the annual precipitation, even in a period of half a century. Intensity of rain events are constantly increasing, while the number of rainy days is in decline. In the last more than fifty years, the series shows a slight, approximately 5% non-significant increase on the country average between 1961 and 2018.
Information about vulnerability of natural resources is available in the NAGiS. https://nater.mbfsz.gov.hu/en
Hungary’s society is aging, there is an increasing rate of people over 65 years in society which results a higher vulnerable to climate change's negative effects (e.g., heat waves, cold waves). The life expectancy of men was 72.9 and women's life expectancy 76.2 years in 2020. There are regional differences in life expectancy between the more developed districts in western counties and the less developed northeastern and southeastern peripheries.
There are also significant spatial differences in income conditions (and in other general socio-economic indicators), which also effects adaptive capacity. Differences within the country can be described partly by geographical factors: Northern-Hungary and Southern Transdanubia regions typically have worse socio-economic indicators than Central and Western Hungary, but also the distance from regional cities and Budapest is an important factor. Socio-economic disadvantage is typically associated with lower adaptive capacity.
The water demand for agriculture is increasing because droughts have become more frequent. Due to the increasing annual mean temperature the water demand is increasing during the crop production. Additionally, due to the increasing evaporation, the demand for irrigation is increasing. The sustainable water management of underground waters, the avoidance of overuse, and the insurance of water supply of underground waters are equally important for responding to increasing demand for irrigation sustainably. The industry also has an increasing demand for cooling water due to increasing annual mean temperature. Simultaneously, the safety of residential drinking water and irrigation supply is also an important challenge. Due to the more frequent and longer droughts, the demand for irrigation water is increasing. This phenomenon puts under pressure the underground waters and the infrastructure of water supply systems.
In Hungary, agriculture is one of the sectors that are most vulnerable to climate change. The largest challenge that the agriculture faces is the increase in the chances of drought. The large quantity and diversity of risks underline this fact, such as the increased probability of floods and groundwater floods, flood-like rains, mud avalanches, landslides, soil erosion. According to the shift of wind systems, wind storms, wind erosion can also be a problem. Early and late frost, frost damage also can be a risk to the food supply. Furthermore forestfires, wildfires, stubble fires also can be dangerous, especially during drought periods. The appearance of new pathogens, pests, and weeds; increasing hazardousness of certain pests that are indigenous to Hungary but have been only of minor significance so far; influences the yield reduction. The spatial disperses of these hazards is introduced by NAGiS.
Furthermore, the infrastructural and public utility security, industrial security, and ecological security is also vital to adaptation.
Metropolitan areas such as Budapest are particularly vulnerable areas related to climate change. Due to the effect of urban heat islands cities are more affected by the heat waves, which has negative consequences on human health. An increasing frequency of asphalt damage can be expected in the summer month also. The increasing wind speed and the expected increase in the frequency of wind storms means a direct, physical source of danger for urban infrastructure and humans. The more frequent occurrence of sudden rainfalls with high yield in precipitation must be expected all over the country. The two most dominant changes, warming and extremes of increasing frequency and intensity, affect cities and villages in many ways. The increase in the frequency of floods and storms also endangers the elements of surface transport infrastructure and underground transport in the lower parts of the city, floodplains, along watercourses. In the case of flood defense embankments, bulging, buzzards and subsoil flow can damage the infrastructure. Sudden precipitation can sometimes lead to landslides. The more durable and drought impairs the stability of the same structures through subsidence. High buildings are also affected by floods, extreme rainfalls and extremely endangered by wind speeds, with the adverse effects of extreme daily and annual temperature fluctuations and frequent changes in freezing / thawing.
Increasing risks can be identified in energy transmission systems and public utility services. The increasing frequency of storms accompanied by strong wind blows can heavily damage the linear elements of electrical infrastructural networks. For the energy providers the changes in energy demand (caused by climate change) can be also challenging.
Tourism – as an important economic sector – has high exposure to the effects of climate change because it is strongly related to geographical and climatic circumstances. On the one hand, the climatic elements would be valuable resources for the sector. On the other hand, climate change would have a huge effect on outdoor activities such as cultural heritage tourism, active tourism, beach tourism, and city-break tourism.
Within the framework of the CARPATCLIM project, digital climate atlas of the Carpathian region has been completed by the Hungarian Meteorological Service, which provides daily meteorological data about the period 1961-2010. Gridded database created by the interpolating MISH (Meteorological Interpolation based on Surface Homogenized Data Basis) and the homogenising MASH (Multiple Analysis of Series for Homogenization) methods of 16 meteorological elements for the period 1961-2010, in a 0.1° resolution grid.
CARPATCLIM database has been extended in the National Adaptation Geo-information System (NAGiS), operated by the Western Balkans Green Centre’s National Adaptation Division. The database, called CARPATCLIM-HU is available in the whole territory of Hungary.
An open data policy has been introduced on January 1st 2021 in Hungary, for this reason, OMSZ provided, on the open data server called Meteorological Database (https://www.odp.met.hu/), the observation and measurement data, forecasts of the driven models, and other weather and climate information for free of charge and use.
Meteorological Database including but not limited to:
• daily resolution, raw and homogenized data set of 10 stations for the variables minimum, maximum and average temperature, and precipitation for 1901-2019;
• 10-minute, hourly, daily and monthly data of all automatic stations currently until 2020;
• daily precipitation data for all precipitation measuring stations (~700) currently until 2020;
• homogenised, grid-interpolated data set at daily and 0.1 ° resolution. Variables available from 1971 to the end of 2019: minimum, maximum and average temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, sea level air pressure. Variables available from 2001 to the end of 2019: global radiation, maximum wind gust, average wind.
Two RCMs are applied at the OMSZ and two RCMs at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Department of Meteorology in order to examine the potential future climate change over Hungary and the Carpathian Basin. The use of two models provides basic possibility to quantify the projection uncertainties.
OMSZ applied ALADIN-Climate and REMO:
• ALADIN-Climate: developed at the Météo France within an international cooperation. It is a combination of ARPEGE-Climat general circulation model and the ALADIN weather prediction model. In 2015, model version 4.5 was updated to 5.2 at OMSZ.
• REMO: developed at the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg with the combination of ECHAM4 general circulation model and the earlier weather prediction model (Europa Model) of the German Weather Service. Version 5.0 is currently in use at OMSZ.
Future projections are evaluated mainly for two periods: 2021–2050 as support for the planning for the next few decades, while 2071–2100 is used for long-term adaptation strategies. In the REMO 5.0 and ALADIN-Climate 4.5 experiments the medium SRES A1B, while for the ALADIN-Climate 5.2 simulation the high-emission RCP 8.5 scenarios were used.
ELTE applied RegCM and PRECIS:
• RegCM: available through the Trieste Theoretical Physical Research Institute (ICTP). It performed 0.1° horizontal resolution grid. Global model from Max Planck Institute in Hamburg, ECHAM5 provided the initial and boundary conditions.
• PRECIS: developed at the Hadley Centre in British Meteorological Service, HadCM3 provided the initial and boundary conditions. It performed 0.25° horizontal resolution grid.
In RegCM experiments the SRES A1B scenario were used for three periods: between 1961-1990, 2021-2050, and 2071-2100. In the RegCM4.3 experiments the middle optimistic RCP4.5 and the pessimistic RCP 8.5 scenarios were used.
The National Adaptation Geo-information System (NAGiS) was established between 2013 and 2016. It provides a harmonized basis for the adaptation studies using the RCM results of OMSZ and ELTE as inputs for the quantitative climate impact assessments. In the framework of NAGiS, sectoral impact assessment studies are coordinated to support the adaptation to climate change impacts and related decision making in Hungary. These impact assessments are based on the future climate projections given by the simulation results of ALADIN-Climate and RegCM RCMs.
In the further development phase of the NAGiS between 2017 and 2020, four climate model simulations were used from the EURO-CORDEX database. Simulations were created with the RCA4 regional climate model which used data as threshold conditions from the CNRM-CM5 and EC-EARTH global models, and were based on two scenarios, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Climate model data have the spatial resolution of 0.11°.
Although regional scaling methods improve the resolution of the results of GCMs by taking into account processes on a regional scale, systematic errors incorporated the RCM results from the input data. The uncertainties due to modelling limitations of physical processes are increasing with the improvement of the spatial resolution. Much of the uncertainties in climate projections are deriving from the setup of models, which is transferred from GCMs to the regional level. Uncertainties arising from the description of greenhouse gas emissions, internal variability and non-linear nature of climate system, and scaling method is also contributed to this.
We need to describe the uncertainties of regional climate projections where it is possible, and reduce them to provide useful information for climate impact assessments. For this, ensemble technique can be used, taking into account the sources of uncertainty, we prepare a series of climate model simulations. With this method, we can assign probability estimation to climate projections. The larger a number of ensemble members, the more accurate our estimate will be.
The CORDEX database is suitable for assessing climate change on a probabilistic basis, as it contains data from several comparable climate simulations. Therefore, applied simulations in the NAGiS were also selected by ensemble analysis from the CORDEX database. Four climate model simulations were selected with ensemble method from the database European domain, called EURO-CORDEX. With these simulations and with the ALADIN-Climate and RegCM model results, we are also suitable for probabilistic evaluation. The narrative and cartographic results of the thematic analyses were based on the CIVAS methodology which provides thematic maps in microregional resolution at the national and, in settlement resolution, at the local level. The data for micro-regional and settlement level climate exposure, sensitivity, impact, adaptive capacity and climate vulnerability were determined using a combination of two meteorological models (EC-EARTH, CNRM-CM5) and two climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5, RCP 8.5). The latter were selected from the four Representative Concentration Pathways of the IPCC's 5th Assessment Report. The parallel use of more models and scenarios (and their combinations) increases reliability and helps to produce more realistic projections.
The deficit of proper IT background is a common problem, although it is essential for climate modelling, storing climate model results and ensuring their later use.
Hazard type | Acute/Chronic | Observed climate hazards |
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Water | Acute | Drought |
Flood | ||
Heavy precipitation | ||
Chronic | Changing precipitation patterns and types | |
Precipitation hydrological variability | ||
Water scarcity | ||
Solid mass | Acute | Landslide |
Chronic | Soil erosion | |
Sol degradation | ||
Temperature | Acute | Cold wave frost |
Heat wave | ||
Chronic | Changing temperature | |
Temperature variability | ||
Wind | Acute | Storm |
Chronic |
Hazard type | Acute/Chronic | Future climate hazards | Qualitative trend |
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Water | Acute | Drought | significantly increasing |
Flood | significantly increasing | ||
Heavy precipitation | significantly increasing | ||
Chronic | Changing precipitation patterns and types | significantly increasing | |
Precipitation hydrological variability | significantly increasing | ||
Water scarcity | significantly increasing | ||
Solid mass | Acute | Landslide Future | evolution uncertain or unknown |
Chronic | Soil erosion | evolution uncertain or unknown | |
Sol degradation | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Temperature | Acute | Cold wave frost | significantly decreasing |
Heat wave | significantly increasing | ||
Wildfire | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Chronic | Changing temperature | significantly increasing | |
Temperature variability | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Wind | Acute | Storm | significantly increasing |
Chronic | |||
The yearly distribution of the precipitation has changed. The occurrence of heavy rainfall events has also increased and the number of rainy day is declined. Rainfall is reaching the surface in the form of short-term, intense showers and thunderstorms.
In the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events caused by climate change there is already a significant increase today and their number will continue to rise. The daily precipitation intensity increased in summer.
It is important to mention that as result of warming, spreading of new diseases will be more frequent as the number of spreading vectors (animals) will increase. Due to climate change for example the Egyptian hip mosquitoes and the West Nile fever can spread on larger areas than before. In addition, an increasing number of tumors resulted from increased UV radiation. As the temperature rises, the distribution and the flowering period of the allergenic plants will extend.
Another important consequence of the warming is, that the degradation of the soil causes decline in the tree growth. In longer term it causes reduction in the amount of wood that can be extracted from forests, so there will be fewer renewables and raw materials available.
In terms of climate change it is particularly unfavourable that the slowdown of growth and the destruction of trees significantly reduce the amount of carbon stored, which further accelerates climate change. International examples confirm the expected increase in the frequency of forest fires, which is also the case in Hungary. The loss of income in the forest holdings is another secondary effect. Deterioration of forests not only has an adverse effect on timber supply, but also shrinking, and sometimes disappearing of the forests with their ecosystem services (soil, water resources, settlement protection, recreation, etc.) has negative effects to the society.
Climate change is affecting agriculture more strongly than other sectors and regions. Direct effects of extreme weather phenomena (e.g.: drought, variable rainfall distribution, inland water, thunderstorms) and quality problems, the emergence of new plant health risks (e.g.: cherry fly). Indirect effects of fluctuating world market prices as well as fluctuating farm incomes.
Information about future climate change effects is available in the NAGiS. https://nater.mbfsz.gov.hu/en
Key affected sectors
Key affected sector(s) | biodiversity (including ecosystembased approaches) |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | The climate change will cause quite extensive and radical changes in the ecosystem. The climate affects the biological processes of individuals, population dynamics, the spreading of species and the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Given habitats are more sensitive to the effects of climate change. The MTA Ecological Research Centre carried out research within the NATéR system, which examined the climate vulnerability of the 12 most climate-sensitive domestic natural habitats, including forests, wetlands, grasslands and bogs. The estimates prepared as part of the research provide information on the extent to which the presence of individual habitats in a given area becomes threatened in the event of climate change. To do this, they took into account the expected climate changes in each area based on two climate models, as well as the adaptability characteristic of the habitat in the given area based on several aspects. Examining the different types of habitats separately, the researchers found that the effects expected as a result of climate change are usually less favourable for forests, while they will be more favourable for grasslands. At the same time, it can also be established that the natural vegetation of the highlands proved to be more vulnerable than that of the plains. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | high |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the Second National Climate Change Strategy, temporary drying of minor streams and standing waters jeopardise the subsistence of biomes dependent on water. More frequent fires can increase vulnerability in several habitats. The climate change can accelerate the migration of species and can modify or help the spreading of already problematic invasive species. As a result of the changing climatic conditions, the extremely complex relationship characteristic of the ecosystem may also change. This means that changes in food chains that are typical in nature can disrupt the functioning of the population of several animal and plant species, as complex interactions prevail in nature. |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the Second National Climate Change Strategy, in Hungary, the greatest risk of the near future lies within the rearrangement of communities and changes in the spreading of species, which will likely entail the extinction of many species and the appearance of new species (including harmful non-indigenous, invasive species). |
Key affected sector(s) | health |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different key hazards |
Assessment | The EU Adaptation Strategy issued in April 2013 mentions the various aspects of deaths and diseases attributable to high temperature (heatwaves) among the most significant risks of climate change. The effects of climate change negatively affect human health in several ways. These effects are already statistically detectable in Hungary, and are expected to increase in the future. At the level of society as a whole, the most significant danger, potentially affecting the most people, is the harmful effects of heat waves on the circulatory system, to which the elderly and, to a lesser extent, but more than average, children are exposed. Based on research, the most significant heat waves in the last thirty years have increased daily excess deaths by 12-52%, so the problem already has serious consequences today. People younger than 5 and older than 60 are mainly exposed to heat stress, and agricultural workers and chronically ill people are the most affected by hot days. If the current temperature trend continues, the number of excess deaths will increase by 121% in the period between 2021-2050, and by 778% in the period between 2071-2100. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | high |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the Second National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS-2), due to the climate change, we must expect more frequent and more intense heatwaves. The heatwaves are especially dangerous to the elderly, those suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Vulnerability continues to increase from the north-west to the south-east. The reason for this is, on the one hand, that heat waves are more frequent and intense in the lowland areas, and that, as a result of its typically worse socio-economic situation, the eastern part of the country's ability to adapt to climate change is also lower. |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | According to the estimation made on the basis of the ALADIN-Climate climate model, the number of additional deaths will likely increase 2.6-fold between 2021 and 2050 (NCCS-2). |
Key affected sector(s) | forestry |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Due to Hungary's vegetation geography, it lies in the transition zone between closed forests and forest steppe, so climate change can sensitively affect almost half of our forest areas. The life expectancy and growth potential of the tree species that make up the forests - wood productivity - is mostly influenced by their place of production, in addition to their genetic characteristics. The characteristics of the given growing area are significantly influenced by the change in the annual precipitation distribution, the increase in the average annual temperature, the more frequent periods of drought, the low relative humidity and the increase in the frequency of extreme weather phenomena (e.g. wind storms). Based on all this, the living conditions of forests and the possibilities of economic and sustainable forest management in the given area are therefore fundamentally determined by changes in forest climate types or climate classes.(RCB) |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | high |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the Second National Climate Change Strategy, the climate change will make the climate zones determining the spreading of our indigenous tree species and having a specific amount of annual precipitation and mean temperature will shift towards North and to areas that are located higher above the sea. The forecasted pace of the shifting of climate zones is far higher than the spreading pace of tree species, therefore, tree species, forest communities stuck in unfavourable climate zones can exist for an uncertain time. It is already a regrettable reality that the spruce, which prefers humid climates, is gradually disappearing from our country. Based on the forecasts made by forestry research, by 2050 suitable growing areas for beech will disappear from the country, and the area of the driest forest climate type, the forested steppe, will increase many times over. |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the Second National Climate Change Strategy, in Hungary (in temperate continental climate) the increase of temperature can lead to droughts if precipitation reduces. Drought slows down the growth of trees, and so their carbon sequestration and storage, and can cause the deterioration and decay of trees. The expected large quantities of winter and spring precipitation increase the change of floods. Floods can cause the most damage to trees in springtime, when they are in their growth phase; damages suffered in this period can even cause the decay of the tree. |
Key affected sector(s) | agriculture and food |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | In the case of Hungary, the most important types of damage were drought damage, hail and spring frost damage. In the future, changes in precipitation and temperature will affect not only the quantity and quality of our surface and subsurface waters, but also the condition of the soil. Intense rainfall also increases the rate of soil erosion in our hilly and mountainous areas, which leads to a significant and rapid decline in soil fertility on eroded slopes and both in deeper sedimentation areas. Salinisation of soils is also a risk, which causes damages to the agricultural sector. In the case of vegetables and fruits, climate change can have a positive effect on yields due to increasing amount of heat, but it is highly important to provide irrigation. Vine-lands are more tolerant to drought compared to other crops, however, drought damage can also cause serious hardships in this case. Arable crop production is particularly affected by climate change: spring crops are expected to show a declining average yield, while those sown in the fall are likely to show increasing yields (RCB). |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | high |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different key hazards |
Assessment | The expected impact of climate change on spring and autumn crops is different. In the case of spring-sown crops the yield loss can be as big as 30% or more. The herbal and spice sector could be one of the winners of climate change: the diversity of species makes the sector more adaptive compared to other sectors. Climate change is expected to have positive effects on plant pests as climatic conditions (especially those affecting reproduction and overwintering) will be more favourable for them. As a consequence, protection against them will become more expensive. Livestock farming is not only exposed to climate change, but also has a significant impact on emissions. In the case of pork and poultry production, where closed, stable housing is typical, these effects are less serious, but increased cost of air conditioning are likely. The climate vulnerability of Hungary's most important arable crops was also investigated in the framework of NAGiS's partner project, AGRAGiS. An important result of the research is that the expected impact of climate change on spring and autumn field crops is different. We can only speak of vulnerability in the case of spring-sown crops, in which the yield reduction exceeds 30%, especially in the southern regions of the country. In the case of corn, a significant decrease in crop yield can be predicted in most of the country, which can be partially remedied by irrigation and earlier timing of sowing (RCB). |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the Second National Climate Change Strategy, amongst the elemental types of damage, it is the drought that causes the highest lost in the long run in Hungary, and it is followed by frost damage and water damage. Considering the fact that we have to expect an increasing average summer temperature and a decreasing summer precipitation, it can be concluded that the largest challenge agriculture faces is the increase of the chances of drought. |
Key affected sector(s) | water management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | The Report on the scientific assessment of the possible effects of climate change on the Carpathian Basin (RCB) mentions that the Hungarian water bodies show different levels of vulnerability, but all of them are endangered by different aspects of climate change; spatiotemporal changes of temperature and precipitation is one of the biggest risks. Relevant data shows that a relatively minor change in precipitation and temperature has a major impact on the process of water cycle: a 15–20% annual fluctuation of average precipitation together with a 1–2°C fluctuation of yearly average temperature can lead to 60% difference regarding mean annual flow. Regarding flood protection, the following climate impacts need to be taken into account: (1) floods related to winter rainfalls become more frequent, (2) floods related to melting snow and ice become unpredictable, (3) frequency and intensity of flash floods grow, (4) flood-related damages become more frequent (Nováky, 2013). The dual pressure of water abundance and water scarcity is also challenging: the increasing number of extreme rain events cause increase in flash floods meanwhile in spring and summer prolonged drought periods cause damage in the agriculture sector and forestry. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | high |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | NAGIS models show that in the case of major lakes permanent low water levels are likely in the future, as water balance becomes instable. Lake Balaton seems to be extremely exposed to this risk based on the tendencies of the past couple of decades. Growing levels of evaporation due to the growing average temperature is one of the greatest challenges in this case. Water quality diminishes as water temperature rises and ice becomes less frequent. Due to climate change annual rhythm of precipitation changes: during winter it increases, while during summer it decreases. The number of wet days diminishes, however, the intensity of precipitation grows. These processes result in increasing flow and decreasing infiltration. As a consequence, groundwater bodies get less and less water from above the surface. This process has negative impact on subterranean systems of circulation. Reducing levels of groundwater lead to more frequent drought, and the area affected by drought is also likely to grow. At the same time, surface water levels also decline. Groundwater-related floods become unpredictable. |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the NAGIS models permanent low water levels of the major lakes and rivers, and more frequent drought have a high chance of occurrence in the future. The most affected regions will be the Southern Great Plain (droughts) and settlements of hilly and foothill regions. |
Key affected sector(s) | civil protection and emergency management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | The extreme weather conditions effect the human civilisation and societies more and more directly. The extreme weather conditions, including droughts, heatwaves, storms and the fires, floods, landslides caused by these can have such consequences that the municipalities, countries which are affected by these cannot handle alone. The situation is made even more complex by the fact that an extreme natural disaster can be followed by other ones or may be accompanied by any other natural emergency, and they can, on the whole, intensify the negative effects and consequences of each other, usually in a progressive and exponential way. The consequences of climate change, especially the increased threats to the natural, human and humanmade environment have made the climate change one of the central elements of disaster management. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | medium |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Hungary's report on the national disaster risk assessment includes detailed assessment on disaster management related vulnerability. |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | According to Hungary's report on the national disaster risk assessment, Hungary's territory is significantly exposed to the effects of climate change and several climate related hazards have significance also in disaster management. |
Key affected sector(s) | urban |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different key hazards |
Assessment | Warming and increasing frequency of weather extremes affect cities and villages in many ways. Increasing frequency and magnitude of heat waves, UV radiation and extreme storms affect both the health of people and public utilities in great towns and the capital city. Moreover, it causes damages to transport infrastructure, as well as residential and public buildings. The frequency and intensity of heat waves are expected to increase in the future, which poses a high risk to public health (especially for the elderly and children). Air conditioners used as active protection against heat are further increase the heat island effect. Extreme weather events (storms, floods, flash floods) can cause damage in the housing stock, public buildings and infrastructure. Hilly and foothill areas settlements are particularly exposed to flash floods (RCB, NAGIS). |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | medium |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Second National Climate Change Strategy, the Climate Change Action Plans and also the local climate change strategies put a great emphasis on urban climate change effects. Consequently, the adaptive capacity of settlements hopefully will increase in the future. Green surfaces help to reduce the extent of the effects of climate change and to adapt to them: by absorbing part of the light, they reduce the warming of the air near the ground . Evaporation during evapotranspiration cools the microclimate, and by sequestering CO2, it reduces the greenhouse effect. Therefore, it is particularly important to preserve the existing green spaces and create new ones. Vehicles, road users, traffic and transport infrastructure are directly affected by the listed changes in weather elements. Heat waves are a particularly heavy burden on public transport participants, as the temperature inside the means of transport can be several degrees higher than that outside, which can cause traffic safety problems (e.g., distraction), so special attention must be paid to the proper information of the road users. In winter, the occurrence of slippery roads and poor visibility (fog) may increase, which entails a deterioration of traffic conditions. Moisture seeping into asphalt cracks and freezing causes potholes, and you should also be prepared for more frequent snow obstacles. |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Future risks are fundamentally dependent on the effectiveness of current interventions. |
Key affected sector(s) | energy |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | low |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | The reduction in heating energy demand is already being felt, but the effects of climate change on infrastructure are still uncertain. A project is currently underway to explore the effects of climate change on energy demand and infrastructure. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | high |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | medium |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different key hazards |
Assessment | The primary challenge for energy sector is changing energy needs and infrastructure damages. In winter, we can expect a decrease in heating energy demand, and in summer we can expect a significant increase in cooling electricity demand. Increasing electricity demand can cause unexpected and large-scale power outages. Rising water temperatures in rivers and changing water flows can cause problems with the temperature and amount of cooling water. The use of hydropower will be fundamentally determined by the changing water flow of rivers, and the performance of wind farms will be determined by changes in wind conditions. The biggest risks affecting electric overhead lines are fires caused by lightning, flash floods in floodplains and in hilly areas. Overhead lines are also exposed to sudden heavy rainfall and the resulting landslides (RCB). |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | medium |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | A project is currently underway to explore the the effects of climate change on energy demand and infrastrucure. |
Key affected sector(s) | tourism |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | low |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | different key hazards |
Assessment | Among the economic sectors, tourism is one of the subsectors most exposed to changes in climatic elements, as it is by its very nature closely linked to the physical factors of geographical locations (climate, vegetation, hydrographic and topographic features, etc.). On the one hand, climate elements are seen as a resource, but changes in these factors also seriously affect the attractiveness of a given destination: they can limit or gradually make certain elements of the offer impossible, but at the same time they can also encourage the development of new alternative products. Climatic conditions and weather extremes, which are becoming more frequent and intense, play a key role especially in the case of tourist products that prefer spending time outdoors. Such products are also decisive in Hungary: lakeside beach tourism, cultural heritage tourism (e.g. city visits, pilgrimage tourism, event tourism) and nature-based active tourism are all key elements of the domestic tourism supply. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | medium |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | high |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the study carried out within the framework of NAGiS, the vulnerability of tourism will be different in different areas of Hungary and in different types of destinations in the future. Within the “Further development of the NAGiS” the new C3 module examined the topic of climate vulnerability of tourism, examining the typical exposure, sensitivity, adaptability and vulnerability characteristics of destination areas through complex indicators for 3 priority domestic tourism products (lakeside beach tourism; cultural heritage tourism; and nature-based active tourism) in Hungarian districts. The purpose of the study was to find out where in the country the most suitable potential for the given type of tourism exist; and as a counterpoint to this, which regions are the most vulnerable to the changing climatic elements. Based on the results, territorial differences and their temporal trends are typical for all three types of tourism. The most vulnerable areas are typically located in some lowland regions and in the outer and inner peripheral regions of the country. The lowest vulnerability occurs in the well-introduced destinations of the given product due to the more favourable climatic exposure and/or lower sensitivity data (the latter is due to the traditional significance of tourism). We experience deviations from the trend in specific areas for each tourism product, e.g., in the case of lakeside beach tourism, Lake Tisza, and in the case of urban tourism, the area of Miskolc shows higher vulnerability than its surroundings as a result of their weaker adaptability caused by their less favourable socio-economic data. https://nater.mbfsz.gov.hu/sites/nater.mfgi.hu/files/files/Turizmus_Kutat%c3%a1si_jelentes.pdf |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | medium |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | different climate change scenarios; different geographical regions within the country; different key hazards |
Assessment | Based on the study carried out within the framework of NAGiS, the vulnerability of tourism will be different in different areas of Hungary and in different types of destinations in the future. https://nater.mbfsz.gov.hu/sites/nater.mfgi.hu/files/files/Turizmus_Kutat%c3%a1si_jelentes.pdf |
Overview of institutional arrangements and governance at the national level
The ex-National Adaptation Centre, currently the National Adaptation Division of the WBGC, as a governmental institution, assists the Deputy Secretariat of State for Climate Policy in the elaboration of policy documents, background documents and studies. The current, 5-year-revison of the NCCS-2 is due this year. The responsible organisation of the task will be the National Adaptation Division of the WBGC.
From SRSP sources, initiated by the Ministry responsible for climate policy, with the involvement of the Swedish Environmental Agency a learning material was prepared for Hungarian environmental impact evaluators to strengthen the climate adaptation policy aspects in their activities.
The most important challenge is the availability of financial resources and the still missing monitoring system of implementation. The main sources of funding for adaptation measures are: incomes from EU-ETS allowances sales; European funds and Hungarian co-financing.
The „Report on the scientific assessment of the possible effects of climate change on the Carpathian Basin” (RCB) identified the main gaps on climate change research. According to the document new research projects and interventions in these areas must emerge in the coming years:
• Climate vulnerability assessment of critical energy infrastructures;
• Macro regional extension of the National Adaptation Geo-information System (NAGiS);
• Further development of preferential NAGiS modules: water regime changes of big rivers; human health impacts of climate change; examination of the adaptation capacity of the tourism sector; extreme weather-related vulnerability of the housing stock.
• Elaborated integrated rainwater and flood management planning guideline;
• Reducing the exposure of agriculture to climate change;
• Strengthening digitalisation in climate protection.
The Parliamentary Decree about the adoption of the strategy declared that the implementation of the NCCS-2 would be based on 4 consecutive action plans (year-long ones), out of which the fist was planned /according to the original schedule/ for 2018-2020. This 1st National Climate Change Action Plan was finally approved after a half-year-long planning and another half-year-long partnership process in 7 January 2020. Its mitigation measures focus mainly on the housing sector, renewable energy production and use, transport and carbon sequestration of woods. The most important priority fields of adaptation are human health; water management; disaster management; agriculture and rural development; nature protection; forestry, energy management and tourism. Among the awareness raising measures bigger emphasis is laid on local responses, media and education oriented solutions, and other interventions supporting mitigation and adaptation objectives. As part of the 1st NCCAP, even an initial climate policy monitoring and evaluation concept was also elaborated for the follow-up of the NCCS-2 and its Action Plans.
The Governmental Report about the Expected Weather and Climate Change impacts of the Carpathian Basin in the 21.century (RCB) was elaborated by the National Adaptation Centre with the cooperation of the Ministry of Energy and the National Meteorological Service. The report comprised 3 main parts: the introduction of the current and expected dynamics of weather factors in the Carpathian basin during this century; the identification of the main climate change related impacts and consequences per sectors and finally the description of the possible responses (grouped also by sectors).
Between 2020-22 the planning process of the 2nd NCCAP is also occurred. The document is currently waiting for governmental adoption. The most important priority fields of adaptation remain the same is those of the 1st NACCP: human health; water management; disaster management; agriculture and rural development; nature protection; forestry, energy management and tourism, completed this time with the field of urban/settlement development.
In 2020 a report was developed about disaster risk assessment in Hungary, which also covers in detail the disaster risk due to climate change. 12 risk areas identified by the report, the followings are related to climate change: extreme weather; water damage; geological risks; health related risks.
As a national good practise example, during the elaboration of the NCCAPs a wide horizontal participation took place. The NCCAPs include set of measures based on action proposals submitted by the sectors and discussed in working group meetings.
In the last few years several projects supported also the vertical mainstreaming and participation. As a sub-national level example all the counties have made their own climate change strategies, and in connection with these planning activities the so called „county climate platforms” have been set up. These platforms have a broad membership (from the administration, through civil society, and NGOs to business organizations etc.) and their main aim is to facilitate the implementation of local climate actions. The climate change awareness at the subnational level is also increasing. The Hungarian organization called Alliance of Climate-Friendly Municipalities has now more than 50 members. Besides that through the Territorial and Settlement Development Operational Programme a lot of municipality had the opportunity to elaborate their own SECAP and as part of the process to be members of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. The Covenant has 213 signatories from Hungary.
In the Awareness Raising Programme of the 1st and 2nd NCAAP, training and attitude formation was implemented/is planned for municipal governments and economic organisations in different topics. Furthermore, educational and training programmes also continue aimed among other things the improvement of climate awareness and sustainability in higher education, as well as in teacher and instructor training.
According to EU regulations, the climate protection assessment of new investments have to be carried out during the preliminary environmental assessment and the environmental impact assessment. Accordingly, the 314/2005. (XII. 25.) Government Decree on the Environmental Impact Assessment and the Unified Environmental Use Permit Procedure have been amended in 2017. The Environmental Protection Section of the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers has prepared a methodological guidance for conducting climate change analyses.
As a good practice example in 2020 the second Hungarian-coordinated project started within the framework of the LIFE Climate Policy sub-program, which aims for cooperation between a city and a company to facilitate adaptation. The project called LIFE-CLIMCOOP has the overall aim of developing a public-private partnership in which cities and local companies work together to reduce climate risks and increase their adaptability to climate change, which can lead to a reduction in vulnerability to climate change in the region and in Hungary, in areas with similar socio-economic characteristics.
The overall aim of the LIFE-CLIMCOOP project is to develop a public-private partnership in which cities and local companies work together to reduce climate risks and increase their adaptability to climate change, which can lead to a reduction in vulnerability to climate change in the region and in Hungary. areas with similar socio-economic characteristics.
Selection of actions and (programmes of) measures
Description |
The aim is to promote the integration of groundwater recharge and storage technology into the Hungarian regulatory environment. Tasks had been carried out until the end of the project in April 2022: a national survey, a map of potentially suitable areas for groundwater storage; a sensitivity sampling analysis in a selected sample area, assess the feasibility of establishing a groundwater recharge scheme; training curricula and delivery of training; national policy recommendations, action plan.
|
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
C: Physical and technological approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
C2: Technological options
|
Description |
The aim of the action is to develop a national disaster risk assessment system involving professional organisations. The aim of the development is to create a complex assessment system that will enable all organisations involved in the defence administration and disaster management system to prepare more effectively for natural disasters caused by climate change.
|
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
C: Physical and technological approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
C2: Technological options
|
Description |
During the time frame of the Climate Change Action Plan I, the methodology of the previous inland water hazard map has been further developed.In 2021, the methodology was adapted to analyse the changes in water balance, flood resilience and the impacts of human interventions (hazard scenarios were developed for various scenarios).
|
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
D: Nature based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
D2: Blue options
|
Description |
This measure is a continuation of measure A8 of the First Climate Change Action Plan, which aims to replicate the developed good practices:
• developing a municipal sustainable stormwater management guide (manual) integrating emission reduction aspects (LIFE-MICACC 2021); • assessment of the sustainable urban stormwater management solutions and regulatory options (LIFE-MICACC 2021); • dissemination of the developed methodology, and its application in other areas. |
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
D: Nature based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
D2: Blue options
|
Description |
The aim of the action is to synthesise scientific research results on the problem of algal blooms and to identify and develop innovative options and project ideas to tackle the phenomenon.
|
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
D: Nature based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
D2: Blue options
|
Description |
The aims of the measure are:
• identification of inland inundation bodies using optical and radar imagery from available satellite imagery and to develop a methodology for geospatial analysis; • Continue automating the mapping of inland inundation; • to carry out inland inundation mass calculations on sample areas. As no significant inland flooding occurred during the implementation period of the Climate Change Action Plan I, so the adequacy of the methodology could not be validated. |
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
D: Nature based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
D2: Blue options
|
Description |
The aim of the measure is to identify and prioritise specific research and development project packages and tasks within the framework of a feasibility study, based on the classification and rating of the existing research and development activities related to the Lake Balaton and to those that had been proposed by stakeholders.
|
Status |
implemented/completed
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
D: Nature based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
D2: Blue options
|
The highest challenge is that the given databases, inventories are not interconnected with each other into a single national database. Between 2019 and 2021 a project financed by the EU Structural Reform Support Programme was implemented to help Hungary in setting up this comprehensive monitoring system, with elaboration recommendations. The project focused on European and Hungarian mitigation and adaptation monitoring practices. Parallel with this, the National Adaptation Centre conducted a complementary and more wider survey about European ang Hungarian adaptation related evaluation and assessment practices and the related system building processes. According to the results, regarding the evaluation history in Hungary, it can be stated that in the period since our accession to the EU, an MRE framework focusing on aid utilization; achievement of OP-objectives; and implementation evaluation in relation to EU grants-related development policy have been set up. However, among these evaluations environmental aspects, let alone climate policy oriented topics rarely emerge. Specifically climate-related evaluations (directly or indirectly affecting climate policy) did not occur until recently.
The next step, based on the SRSP project and the NAC’s own research results, will be the concrete establishment of the adaptation monitoring-reporting-evaluation (MRE) system, because the systematic, complex monitoring and evaluation of adaptation-related development objectives, measures and climate impacts is still lacking in Hungary. As a response to this deficit the set-up of a complex climate policy-oriented MRE system (using its planned Hungarian abbreviation: KIMER) is being planned and prepared. With the set-up of KIMER our goal is the creation of a monitoring system that is suitable to monitor and improve the projects aiming at mitigation, adaptation, green economy development or awareness raising objectives in Hungary from different development funds.
Furthermore, adaptation results and impacts of EU funds-supported projects and programmes will be monitored and evaluated through dimension code system of the EU-planning. This was also the case in 2014-20, when even a comprehensive assessment was prepared about the climate adaptation-related results of the programming period in Hungary, ordered by the central monitoring coordination unit of the Chancellery.
As for the last programming period, according to the calculations based on EU planning-related dimension codes approximately 6% of the total supports were expended to climate adaptation oriented actions between 2014 and 2020 (mainly form the Energy Efficiency and Environment OP, the Territorial and Settlement Development OP and the Rural Development Programme).
o Tourism’s complex vulnerability assessment.
o Water regimes change analyses of bigger rivers.
o Assessment of local vulnerability of the housing stock to extreme weather events and the settlements’ exposure to geological hazards.
o Analysis of human health-related impacts of climate change.
o On the other hand, the geographical extension of the NAGiS system into a macro-regional dimension is recommended to help to understand the regional climate change processes and improve the efficiency of adaptation activities in Hungary.
o In response to this demand the Carpathian Basin module of the NAGiS must be developed (the Carpathian Basin Adaptation Geo-Information System, CARPAGiS).
o The planned system can be used as an effective and interdisciplinary decision supporting tool, providing the target groups with impact assessment information focusing on larger regions and macro-regional adaptation on which results national and subnational strategies could be established.
Preparatory studies on data availability in the neighbouring countries were conducted and a Feasibility Study prepared by the end of 2021 as the basis for future developments. Currently the sectoral ministry is working on finding financial resources for the planned thematic and geographical extensions of the system.
Going through the six main adaptation priorities of NCCS-2 the following progress can be detected in the last 2 years:
• Preservation of natural and semi-natural ecosystems, preservation of natural resources: the 1st NCCAP’s nature protection measures implemented habitat preservation and rehabilitation; the 2nd NCCAP’s draft comprises even more related actions.
• Detection the adaptation of vulnerable regions, elaboration of region-specific adaptation strategies: after the 2018 adoption of county and capital level climate strategies even settlement level climate strategies were elaborated in more than 100 municipalities between 2019-2021. Further development of NAGiS (2017-2020) contributed significantly to the provision of proper information basis of vulnerability topics’ territorial differences.
• Developing the flexible and innovative adaptation of vulnerable sectors: The 1st NCCAP’s sectoral measures in the fields of energy infrastructure, water management, agriculture, forestry, nature protection, tourism, risk management and human health can contribute to the adaptation of the covered sectors. The 2nd NACCP’s draft continues the planning of actions in these fields, completed them with settlement development oriented actions as well.
Facilitating the preparation for managing increased risks and developing adaptation in priority horizontal areas of national strategic importance: In the 1st NCCAP numerous measures aimed the development of a national disaster management information system; the methodological preparation of the vulnerability assessment of the critical infrastructure networks
Mitigation of the expected social impacts of climate change and improving social adaptability, facilitating social familiarisation with adaptation options: The 1st NCCAP’s awareness raising measures targeted the improvement of consciousness of national and local administration, the media and the education system and the draft 2nd NCAAP continues these directions.
Supporting research projects and innovation, publication of scientific research results: several results of the NAGiS system can be mentioned here (look at the point after the next one).
The further development of the NAGiS system took place between 2017 and 2020.
In the framework of the project financed from the Environment and Energy Efficiency Operational Programme 2014-2020 the system’s potential applicability in practice were significantly strengthened; existing vulnerability modules were improved further and totally new modules were also developed between 2017 and 2020. The developments consist of
• the elaboration of the Local Adaptation Decision-support Application (as an online tool for settlements to evaluate their condition regarding different topics of climate adaptation, to download database and maps, to make reports and comparisons of their own situation to national average) and the Settlement-level Adaptation Barometer (as a downloadable questionnaire supporting settlement-level situation analyses). Both tools can be used in local-level strategic planning and adaptation-oriented decision making by local authorities.
• On the other hand, several new
o socio-economic (human health consequences of climate change regarding the vulnerability of the population; expected impacts of climate change on internal migration processes in Hungary; expected impacts of climate change on internal labour market processes in Hungary)
o and vulnerability topic-related (potential renewal of land use modelling; climate change adaptation of the agrarian sector; settlement level analysis of urban land flooding; study about the settlement-level methodology of the housing stock’s vulnerability in Hungary; climate change aspects of geological threats) scientific publications have been elaborated.
• Numerous guidebooks and dissemination materials were also released based on the new NAGiS results (in the topics of household energy and water saving possibilities, secure climate buildings, human health, climate change, conservation of wildlife and biodiversity, and preparing for extreme weather events) to improve awareness-raising and help municipal leaders.
• Among the new thematic studies a new methodology for complex vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, impact, adaptation capacity, and vulnerability) assessment of different tourism products in Hungary was also published, containing national level database and thematic maps of microregions and three pilot studies about particular Hungarian destinations, and the collection of best practices in tourism adaptation.
Nevertheless, our further goal is to secure the further extension of NAGiS in terms of both thematically (with development of new vulnerability assessment and decision supporting modules and the improvement of existing modules) and territorially.
Good practices and lessons learnt
Cooperation and experience
Hungary is member of the Carpathian Convention which was adopted and signed by the seven Parties (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Ukraine) in May 2003 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and entered into force in January 2006. It is the only multi-level governance mechanism covering the whole of the Carpathian area and besides the Alpine Convention the second sub-regional treaty-based regime for the protection and sustainable development of a mountain region worldwide. The Convention has a Working Group on Adaptation to Climate Change. The aim of the WG is taking into account the vulnerability of fragile mountain ecosystems and exposure of key economic sectors and mountain communities to climate change.
The DEEPWATER-CE transnational cooperation project (also funded by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Program) – introduced above in a more detailed way – has been implemented in cooperation with 5 Central European countries (Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Croatia and Hungary). It aims to provide practical answers to meet the increasing municipal water use through the sustainable utilization of groundwater. In the framework of the project, pilot projects preparing for the widespread of MAR (Managed Aquifer Recharge) solutions were implemented through the cooperation of five Central European countries. MAR technology involves creating artificial water catchment areas by storing water in reservoirs, artificial lakes, or underground. The stored water is then gradually controlled and reintroduced into the groundwater, contributing to preserving the groundwater resources. In a nutshell, MAR technology is to reuse surface waters instead of letting them flow into the sea. The partners joint their forces to develop integrated environmental management capacities of responsible public actors for a comprehensive transnational approach to water resources and adoption of MAR solutions in Central European region as a solution to climate change inducing water scarcity and decreasing usage conflicts with other social and economic sectors. This year the administrational closing phase of the project remains. For more information, please visit the project’s website: https://www.interreg-central.eu/.
Overview of institutional arrangements and governance at the sub-national level (where “sub-national” refers to local and regional)
In addition – based on the website of Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy – the Covenant has 213 signatories from Hungary (mainly, but not only municipalities).
In addition, there is an inter-ministerial working group on climate change, which is usually convened by the Deputy Secretariat of State for Climate Policy.
Due to the different climatic exposures and economic characteristics of the counties/municipalities, adaptation priorities differ in each climate strategy at county level. The most frequently targeted sectors in the NUTS3/LAU1 level adaptation documents are water management, forestry, transport, housing stock, infrastructure, agriculture, human health, tourism. Situation analysis and assessment parts are well developed in most strategies, but there are significant differences in the elaboration of aims and goals and measures, let alone the implementation frameworks.
Overview of good practice examples from the sub-national levels to engage with the private sector (max 5 000 characters)
In the aforementioned climate platforms and in the partnership process even civic actors were involved. Nevertheless there is and will be always room for improvement in the engagement with the private sector.
? The first draft of Kazincbarcika’s Climate Adaptation Strategy has been elaborated and sent to the City of Kazincbarcika, the BorsodChem and other stakeholders for receiving their comments and remarks. This public partnership process will occur this March. According to the plans, in this spring, the city of Kazincbarcika and the joint Climate Platform of the Municipality and the Company will adopt the Strategy in the form of a local governmental decree.
? After the adoption of the Strategy, the elaboration of a methodological guide for planning other joint city-company strategies and the collection of good climate adaptation practices will take place until February 2024.
? As a part of awareness-raising actions two professional articles has been elaborated in connection with the extreme weather events for the citizens of Kazincbarcika and the employees of BorsodChem.
? In January the BorsodChem made operational its industrial sewage water cleaning prototype. The future use of the device will help to make the water use of the BC more efficient.
Good practices and lessons learnt
Adaptation barriers; Adaptation goals, objectives, undertakings, efforts, strategies, policies and plans; Adaptation priorities; Assessment of climate impacts, vulnerability and risks to climate change, including adaptive capacity; Climate modelling activities and methodologies; Climate risk communication; Coordination mechanisms; Disaster risk reduction and management, innovative adaptation solutions and innovative financing mechanisms; Efforts to integrate climate change adaptation into development and sectoral policies, plans and programs; Institutional arrangements and governance at the national level; Integration of gender perspectives into climate adaptation; Integration of indigenous, traditional and local knowledge into climate adaptation; Monitoring and evaluation; Policy and regulatory changes; Stakeholder engagement; Strengthening scientific research and knowledge
The implementation process of the strategies’ measures has just begun, so detailed information can only be available in the next “National climate change adaptation planning and strategies” reporting process for the European Union.