Index – Foreigner – János Áder: We must also prepare for crises more serious than Covid



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We need to be prepared for this crisis, unless we radically change the way we live so far, so that another, and even more serious than Covid, follows us, warned President János Áder in a video speech at the jubilee session of the General Assembly from the UN on Wednesday.

If we can learn from the crisis and if we are finally doing something in areas where we have known for a long time there is a threat, we have long known what to do and we also know that procrastination only increases risks and costs. – According to the head of state, these are the most important issues of our time.

In his introduction, János Áder said how strange the anniversary is now, because “for the first time in the history of the United Nations, we have to hold our usual annual meeting virtually”.

The culprit is, therefore, an invisible virus that has turned our lives upside down, declared János Áder. He pointed out that Covid-19, which developed as a result of the viral infection, changed the rules of our family and friends, our work, our community union in an instant and caused a serious crisis.

He stressed that the health crisis had quickly turned into an economic and then a social crisis, companies had gone bankrupt, jobs had been lost and drastic restrictive measures had to be taken. “Who would have thought of all this even at the beginning of the year?” – said the President of the Republic.

More and more people say that the current situation is a prototype of the crisis of the Anthropocene (new era in the history of the earth), because the XXI. At the beginning of the 20th century, humans have become the biggest influence factor for change on the planet.

János Áder emphasized that we still cannot defend ourselves from the coronavirus epidemic, we do not have drugs or vaccines, but in other areas we have known for years what to do. He cited the water problem as an example.

He recalled that the water crisis that had unfolded today had also been discussed several times at the UN, and then stated that “we all know that most of the UN’s sustainability goals are unattainable without a proper water policy.”

János Áder explained the related tasks in four points.

According to him, until one in seven people in the world has access to clean drinking water, we cannot expect to increase productivity in impoverished areas, and until water contamination is avoided, half of hospital beds will remain. occupied by diseases caused by pollution. he. He stated that until we create the conditions for sustainable water management, food production will be safer, not only for newborns, but also for those already here. He also noted that until we transform our energy production systems, coal-fired power plants will not only increase CO2 emissions, but will also use enough water to feed one billion people.

The head of state of Hungary also illustrated the tasks facing humanity with another example: we have been talking for a long time that the way of life we ​​have developed is unsustainable. Every year, we use more resources than nature can replace. To think that natural resources are available to us indefinitely, cheaply and until the end of time is a waste, “he said.

He proposed a circular economy as a solution. An economy in which, as he said, ‘waste – such as glass, plastic, metal – is not garbage but recyclable raw material. He also noted that there had been a lot of talk about this, “but we haven’t made much progress.”

János Áder emphasized that Hungary so far has not been in favor of sterile deliberations, but of action, and that is why it has organized three World Water Meetings in Budapest in recent years. “The success of the meetings encouraged us to cut our ax into even bigger trees. At the end of next year, we will organize a sustainability exhibition, which will address water production, transport, energy and waste management, and education, in addition to water management, ”he announced, adding that Budapest welcomes to all.

To overcome the crisis, the Hungarian head of state recommended Winston Churchill’s words to the General Assembly session: “the pessimist sees difficulty in all possibilities, the optimist sees opportunity in all difficulties.”



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