The United Nation’s climate change conference, the COP29 kicked off on Monday, 11 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. Participants from nearly 200 countries are expected to attend the conference, which will run until 22 November. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived in the Azeri capital on Monday evening, accompanied by Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy.
‘The Hungarian message is clear: the green transition and the fight against climate change should not be done against the interests of our farmers and the business community, but in cooperation with them,’ Orbán wrote in a post on X.
István Nagy, who spoke at the conference on Tuesday, reminded attendees that the effects of recent extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, have highlighted the need for collective action against climate change.
‘We need to find common responses to the challenges posed by extreme weather, and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), which began in Baku on Monday, provides an opportunity to do so, with more than 200 countries participating,’ he added.
The minister also highlighted the importance of sustainable agriculture and forestry in the fight against climate change. ‘However, it was deeply upsetting for farmers that many have blamed them for climate change. This must be rejected in the strongest possible terms,’ Nagy stated.
‘If anyone has a vested interest in a healthy climate, it is farmers, for whom the land is both their livelihood and their future. That is why extreme green ideologies must not be allowed to take root in agriculture,’ he emphasized.
‘It was deeply upsetting for farmers that many have blamed them for climate change’
As he pointed out, farmers not only cultivate the land and make the countryside livable but also provide daily bread for families. ‘Maintaining the world we have created is our shared responsibility, but at the same time we cannot jeopardize the livelihoods of those who depend on agriculture or the security of our food supply,’ István Nagy said.
He explained that the safest products are those that come from short supply chains. ‘We need to encourage consumers to always choose local, domestic, and seasonal products, as this will not only reduce the ecological footprint but also support the livelihoods of Hungarian farmers and the national economy. Therefore, the consumption and promotion of domestic food is also a priority from an environmental standpoint,’ Nagy added.
Ahead of the COP29 conference, Orbán assured the Kyrgyz President at the Organization of Turkic States summit in Kyrgyzstan that Hungary would support the Kyrgyz initiative to preserve and protect mountain culture and way of life at the upcoming COP29 summit in Baku. Orbán is scheduled to speak later on Tuesday.
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