Climate
Change Country Reports 2010 is INFORSE-Europe publication that
deals with the climate-change issues in new EU member states (post-communist
countries only) and some Balkan countries. 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 and Balkan countries as well 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. The situation in Balkan countries which all (except for
Kosovo which is not a UN member yet) signed and ratified both the UN Convention
on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, is a bit
complicated in comparison to the new EU member states. Nevertheless even here
the climate change is becoming hot issue because the region as a whole, being
part of the Mediterranean, is among the most vulnerable regions to climate
change, in Europe.
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), Iskra Stojkovska
(Citizens Association Front
21/42, Macedonia) and Niki
Fowler (text advice). Edited by Emil Bedi.
The publication is supported by AirClim and EU DG Environment Civil Society Support
for INFORSE-Europe in 2008-2010.