Hungary is in a very difficult situation – Market&Profit
Disasters resulting from climate change are occurring more and more often, in more and more widespread areas, and on an increasingly large scale. According to domestic experts, Hungary is also in trouble: with the help of experts, scientists and representatives of non-governmental organizations, the three-part short film series of Climate Chronicles examines the impact of climate change on our everyday lives, and what can be expected in this regard in the future.
Globally, in the past 40 years, 44 more disasters have occurred, and the resulting material damage has increased 84 from decade to decade, so that a growth rate is also constantly rising. In Hungary, flash floods, droughts, ice and frost damage resulting from extreme weather are becoming more and more frequent, as well as the the appearance of invasive, often aggressive virus-spreading animal species, which has a dramatic effect on food production, among other things.
Desertifying Carpathian basin
The climate of the Carpathian Basin is basically more dry than wet, with an average annual rainfall of about 500-750 millimeters. But based on the experience of recent years, this number is decreasing. A large part of this typically falls at the same time, so it does not have enough time to be absorbed into the soil, then flow over the soil surface and the watershed, and then seep into the various waters out of the Carpathian Basin.
And the region’s warmer climate only exacerbates the drought. Until man intervened, nature compensated for the lack of water due to the climate with water from the rivers coming from the mountains, so 30-40 years ago a farmer could count on at least a medium crop in an average year even without irrigation. Due to the drought, 10-15 wetlands disappeared from the area around Ruzsa, which was shown in the first episode of the film series. the frequency of fires always increases with drought, both in grassy areas and in forests. Therefore, agricultural activities can currently only be carried out safely with irrigation.
Unpredictable food prices
Irrigation, on the other hand, is becoming more and more expensive, since the energy, equipment and tools are increasing, and the volume of agricultural work is also increasing, so every economic year is risky.