Climate Change Country Reports (2008) was the first Inforse Europe publication which
covered climate change issues in new EU member states from an NGO perspective.
2009 version includes new and latest data on emission trends for each country
and completely new report from Estonia. 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 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.
The publication was supported by the EU Commission DG Environment – Civil
Society and by the Air Pollution & Climate Secretariat (Sweden). The content reflects
the views of the authors
and of INFORSE-Europe, not the views
of the financial
supporters. It is the sole
responsibility of INFORSE-Europe.