Climate
Change Country Reports is the first INFORSE-Europe
publication that deals with the climate-change issues in new EU member states
(post-communist countries only). These countries all face more or less similar
obstacles with respect to their economical and social development. The present
report makes available hard-to-find information that mainstream media
consistently fail to report about the attitudes of ordinary citizens and of
governments towards climate change problems. The primary media’s silence does
not mean that climate change is not an issue in these countries; the truth is
just the opposite. According to the latest EU-wide survey on attitudes of EU
citizens towards climate change (Eurobarometer 69.2
N°300, 2008) there is a vast majority (between 63% and 89% of inhabitants) in
each of these countries who consider climate change as a "very serious
problem". Over 50% of citizens
polled consider it to be the most serious problem currently facing the world as
a whole. This publication is aimed at presenting, especially for the use of
non-governmental organizations, the situation in new EU member states from the
perspective of people living and working there.
The new EU members are facing special challenges
during these years of transition. Rises
in their respective GDPs until 2008 have been considerable. An unwelcome
corollary to this helpful economic growth was governmental officials’
frequently unchallenged assertions of "the need" to increase future
greenhouse-gas emissions. The NGO community does not share this view. Past emission
trends show decoupling of emissions and GDP. With each country’s huge potential
for energy savings and renewables as well as for related job creation, and
given the ecological imperative of curbing global warming, we maintain that it
would be unwise for EC to turn back progress and relax current regulations.
In fact, during this period of strong economic
development, each country has a unique opportunity to remold a destructive,
expensive, inefficient fossil-fuel-based economy into a healthy, efficient,
sustainable one based on renewables, often nearly independent at local levels.
Despite the fact that the new EU members are enjoying huge EU structural and
cohesion funds right now, changing business-as-usual patterns unfortunately is
not on the agenda yet.
Climate
Change Country Reports were written according to the questionnaire provided
to the authors, who have the freedom to choose to write the report as plain
text (essay) or in question-and-answer format. INFORSE-Europe would like to
thank all of the authors who contributed to this report, namely, Todor Todorov (Za Zemiata, Bulgaria), Jiri Jerabek (Centre for
Transport and Energy, Czech republic), Tonu Lausmaa (Renewable Energy Center TAASEN, Estonia), Brigitta Bozso (Energia Klub, Hungary), Alda Ozola (Latvian Green
Movement, Latvia), Saulius Piksrys
Vytas (Bendrija Atgaja, Community Atgaja,
Lithuania), Aleskandra Arcipowska
(Polish Ecological Club, Mazovia Branch, Poland), Ioana Ciuta (TERRA Mileniul III, Romania), Emil Bedi (FAE, Slovakia), Barbara Kvac (Focus, Slovenia) and Niki
Fowler (text advice). Edited by Emil Bedi.