"Family is not the cause but the solution of the climate crisis. A sustainable future requires a sustainable demography," Hungarian President Katalin Novak said in her address at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai on Friday.
Hungary's president highlighted that
Overpopulation is not the problem. In welfare states, we are witnessing a dramatic population decline.
"The precondition of feeling responsible for the planet is feeling responsible for the continuation of one’s life," Katalin Novak pointed out. "Let’s not discourage the youth from childbearing. Let’s give up the culture of fear. Let’s listen to Pope Francis and say yes to life," she advised as a solution.
Climate change is one of the few issues in which world leaders share a common understanding and are uniting their forces,
Katalin Novak said, adding that "Hungary has done its homework. We have one of the world's most ambitious climate agendas. We have substantially reduced our CO2 emissions while increased economic productivity".
"Our renewable energy target for 2030 is estimated to be achieved by 2026. Our target for greenhouse gas emissions for 2030 is 50% of the 1990 level. Hungary is at the forefront of producing and storing green energy, and we are not giving up on the use of zero-emission nuclear energy, either," Hungary's head of state emphasized.
She warned that "in welfare states, we are witnessing a dramatic population decline. The correlation between GDP and fertility is clear," pointing out that
the higher the prosperity, the lower the fertility. The more money, the less children.
Taking a look at the G20 countries in 1990 and today, figures reveal that "the average GDP per capita is 2,5 times higher and the average CO2-emission increased by 62 percent. In the meantime, the total fertility rate dropped by 34 per cent, from 2,5 in 1990 to 1,7 last year. On average, there is almost one child less in the families."
