No Green Solution Without an Enabling Environment
The warming trend and increasing (partly seasonal and spatially uneven) water scarcity due to climate change are already evident in Hungary and call for urgent responses. Water retention through nature-based solutions (NbS) can be an effective way to address the declining regional water availability caused by climate impacts, while also helping to mitigate sudden flash floods. Retained water—and green infrastructure itself—has a positive effect on the local microclimate, providing a cooling and balancing effect.
The policy review and proposal package was prepared by the Energiaklub Climate Policy Institute with the involvement of the Hungarian TeamHUB[1] professional community. The document summarises experiences related to missing data, knowledge, or capacities, and formulates policy recommendations regarding nature-based solutions and green infrastructure development.
In recent years, welcome progress has been made in increasing awareness of nature-based solutions in Hungary and in developing their professional and regulatory foundations. However, this work must continue to ensure that these solutions are embraced not only in isolated cases but as part of a systemic approach, adopted nationwide by planners and investors alike.
It is particularly important to monitor both policy changes (e.g., new regulations) and implemented NbS investments in order to assess their effectiveness and success. This allows for timely interventions if needed and also helps to widely disseminate good practices.
Further details can be found in the attached document below.
The GreenScape project is supported by the INTERREG CE Programme and co-financed by the European Union and Hungary. A brief introduction to the project is available here.
[1] TeAM HUb - Természet-Alapú Megoldások Magyarországi Hálózata
