Hungarians Are Hungry for Climate Action

Hungarians repudiated Orbán as a corrupt authoritarian, who controlled the media, judiciary, and state institutions. Magyar’s center-right TISZA party (Tisztelet és Szabadság Párt, which translates to the Respect and Freedom Party) won a supermajority, giving it the power to amend the constitution and restore democratic institutions and the rule of law. So, what if anything does this mean for the climate? 

Orbán had given only lip service to climate action—calling Hungary a “climate champion” under his leadership, but it was in response to polling that showed 95 percent of Hungarians said it was important for their country to adapt to global warming. In practice, Orbán was a staunch opponent of EU climate policies, calling them a “utopian fantasy.”

Magyar did not make climate a focus of his campaign, but his party did, calling for cooperation with the European Union—possibly to unlock frozen funds intended for a green transition. TISZA party’s program pledged to end Hungary's dependence on Russian energy by 2035 and to double the share of renewable sources by 2040. 

TISZA’s manifesto vows that the Hungarian people have the right to clean air and healthy drinking water and that they will regulate and sanction industrial polluters—likely referring to the very controversial battery industry in the country. While helping facilitate a transition to a green economy, Chinese, South Korean, and Japanese-owned battery factories have been accused of polluting air, soils, and water with toxic discharges, while the Orbán government looked the other way.

Severe droughts and heat waves are straining Hungary’s water supplies, causing historic lows in the Danube and Tisza Rivers, (from which the party derives its name). They vow to improve infrastructure to increase groundwater storage and to strengthen climate adaptation in agriculture.

The Bureau of Reclamation will release nearly 670,000 acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah and Wyoming, upstream of Lake Powell—an amount that could serve around 1.5 million households. Two other reservoirs on the Upper Colorado, Blue Mesa and Navajo, will not be required to release water at this time due to their low levels.

In a statement, the Bureau said that the Colorado River storage system has been reduced to about 36 percent of its capacity due to long-term drought, very low snowpack, and record-breaking heat in March. The likely flow into Lake Powell is forecast to be less than 30 percent of its historical average.

In addition, the Bureau will significantly reduce releases from Lake Powell to Lake Mead, which holds water for Arizona, Nevada, and California. The goal is to ensure that Glen Canyon Dam can continue to generate electricity for more than five million people.

In response to the crisis, the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico, said in a release that they will immediately implement voluntary conservation and efficiency measures and impose mandatory and uncompensated reductions by strict regulation of water rights. 

The seven states in the Colorado Basin, which also include Arizona, California, and Nevada, have been unable to reach an agreement on how to cut back allocations in the long term, and negotiators have not met in person since January. The Los Angeles Times reports that the federal government had no choice but to impose this emergency release.

The wilderness area runs for about 150 miles in the Superior National Forest along the border with Canada and has thousands of lakes and streams, rugged cliffs, and sandy beaches carved by glaciers. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the wilderness currently attracts about 150,000 campers and canoers every year.

The vote on the measure, which overturns the 20-year ban on the industry, was close—passing 50 to 49—and follows last month’s approval by House Republicans. It now goes to the president for his expected signature.

While mining is not allowed inside the Boundary Waters wilderness, previously it had been forbidden in the adjacent watershed because mining pollution could stream into protected areas. A federal study in 2022 found that water pollution could affect aquatic life and tourism, as well as harm Native American communities disproportionately.

A Chilean company, Twin Metals, has sought to mine for copper, cobalt, platinum, and nickel just south of the wilderness area. The parent company of Twin Metals was recently fined by the environmental regulator in Chile for failing to comply with water regulations at a copper mine.

The executive director of MiningMinnesota, an industry group, told MinnPost that the vote was an important step for workers, communities, and domestic mineral supply chains, but Ingrid Lyons of the advocacy group Save the Boundary Waters said in a statement that it was a dark day for America’s most beloved wilderness area.

It could happen. The luxury Chinese EV carmaker Seres was granted a patent for what it’s calling an "in-vehicle toilet." The loo, which sits below the passenger seat, is voice-activated and slides in and out like a drawer, according to a filing with the China National Intellectual Property Administration seen by the BBC. 

The car commode will have an exhaust fan to expel odors and a heating element to dry and evaporate waste, which collects in a tank that would need to be emptied manually. 

The Chinese electric vehicle market is so intensely competitive that other EV automakers are trying to woo customers, offering features like in-cabin karaoke systems, built-in refrigerators, and seats with massage functions. 

Although Seres has not indicated that the toilets will be available soon, one can kinda see the appeal—maybe if you’re stuck in traffic, miles from a rest stop on a long drive, or even camping. But if it’s your day to drive carpool and nature calls, that could get a bit awkward.