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Climate-Driven Beetles attack Hungary’s Library
High above the countryside of western Hungary sits the Pannonhalma Archabbey, home to one of the oldest libraries in Europe. For more than a thousand years, its books have survived wars, fires and political upheaval. Now they face a different threat. A tiny beetle, once harmless and slow to reproduce, is multiplying faster as Hungary heats up.
Inside the library, more than one hundred thousand books have been removed from the shelves and sealed inside nitrogen chambers. The goal is simple. Starve the insects of oxygen and save the collection. Experts say the larvae of the drugstore beetle can chew through glue, covers and bindings, leaving behind small holes that slowly destroy entire volumes.
Warmer temperatures are making the problem worse. Entomologists say that when the heat stays near thirty degrees Celsius, the beetle’s life cycle speeds up dramatically. What used to take two hundred days can take a fraction of that. Instead of one generation a year, there can be several.
For the monks who care for the library, this is only the latest chapter in a long line of crises. The abbey still holds rare codices, early printed books and manuscripts written on the site nearly a millennium ago. Saving them now requires science, conservation and careful restoration.
When the library reopens, visitors will pass through a new chamber that blows insects off clothing before entry. The restoration, costing more than 1.7 million dollars, is being funded mostly through public donations, with the goal of finishing by December.
Some treasures were protected. The 12th century Bible and the 1055 Tihany Charter, the earliest written record of Hungarian, were stored in a climate controlled vault and escaped damage.
The beetles are small, but their impact is enormous. As Hungary warms, the past itself has become vulnerable.
Reported from Pannonhalma Archabbey, Hungary.
#Hungary #Pannonhalma #ClimateChange #CGTN #Books #History #Conservation #Europe #Monks #Library #Heritage #Documentary #PabloGutierrez
Inside the library, more than one hundred thousand books have been removed from the shelves and sealed inside nitrogen chambers. The goal is simple. Starve the insects of oxygen and save the collection. Experts say the larvae of the drugstore beetle can chew through glue, covers and bindings, leaving behind small holes that slowly destroy entire volumes.
Warmer temperatures are making the problem worse. Entomologists say that when the heat stays near thirty degrees Celsius, the beetle’s life cycle speeds up dramatically. What used to take two hundred days can take a fraction of that. Instead of one generation a year, there can be several.
For the monks who care for the library, this is only the latest chapter in a long line of crises. The abbey still holds rare codices, early printed books and manuscripts written on the site nearly a millennium ago. Saving them now requires science, conservation and careful restoration.
When the library reopens, visitors will pass through a new chamber that blows insects off clothing before entry. The restoration, costing more than 1.7 million dollars, is being funded mostly through public donations, with the goal of finishing by December.
Some treasures were protected. The 12th century Bible and the 1055 Tihany Charter, the earliest written record of Hungarian, were stored in a climate controlled vault and escaped damage.
The beetles are small, but their impact is enormous. As Hungary warms, the past itself has become vulnerable.
Reported from Pannonhalma Archabbey, Hungary.
#Hungary #Pannonhalma #ClimateChange #CGTN #Books #History #Conservation #Europe #Monks #Library #Heritage #Documentary #PabloGutierrez
Hungarian Farmers Turn to High Tech Water
Hungary is heating up fast and farmers are feeling it. With summers getting hotter and water levels dropping, some growers are turning to science to protect their fields. In Dunavecse, next to the Danube River, one melon farm is using a new Hungarian system called Vizion that changes the water and tracks every drop that reaches the soil.
The Roszik family has been growing melons for nearly thirty years. Today they farm 75 hectares and say their yields have nearly doubled. One of the reasons, they say, is treated water that strengthens the natural polarity of the water so the plants absorb moisture and nutrients more efficiently.
Sensors placed under the soil measure moisture and temperature. Weather stations monitor rainfall, sunlight and wind. All of this information goes to a simple phone app so farmers know exactly when to irrigate and when to wait.
Farmers using the new system report stronger and more resilient plants that hold up better during extreme heat. Some say stressed crops still produced full yields even during tough weather.
For the Roszik farm this is not just about bigger harvests. It is about keeping their fields alive as the climate changes and using water in a smarter way.
Reported from Dunavecse, Hungary.
The Roszik family has been growing melons for nearly thirty years. Today they farm 75 hectares and say their yields have nearly doubled. One of the reasons, they say, is treated water that strengthens the natural polarity of the water so the plants absorb moisture and nutrients more efficiently.
Sensors placed under the soil measure moisture and temperature. Weather stations monitor rainfall, sunlight and wind. All of this information goes to a simple phone app so farmers know exactly when to irrigate and when to wait.
Farmers using the new system report stronger and more resilient plants that hold up better during extreme heat. Some say stressed crops still produced full yields even during tough weather.
For the Roszik farm this is not just about bigger harvests. It is about keeping their fields alive as the climate changes and using water in a smarter way.
Reported from Dunavecse, Hungary.
The Mayfly Miracle on the Tisza River
For a few nights each summer, Hungary’s Tisza River turns into a living cloud of wings. Millions of mayflies rise from the water all at once, dance above the river, mate, and die just hours later. It is one of Europe’s most fragile natural wonders, and scientists say it is now under threat.
This year, the bloom happened early again. Biologists believe climate change is shifting the timing of the event as warmer water reduces oxygen levels and disrupts the insects’ development. Some years the bloom is pushed into May. Other years a sudden cold front can delay it. The timing is becoming unpredictable.
Locals call it Tiszaviragzas, the Blooming of the Tisza. The insects spend three years hidden in the mud below the river, living only a few hours above it. For people who live along the water, the bloom carries deep meaning. Volunteers cleaned the riverbanks ahead of this year’s bloom, hoping to keep the Tisza healthy enough for the mayflies to return.
In Szeged, a bronze sculpture honors their brief flight, and a poem written in the 1800s calls the mayflies a symbol of resilience after the city’s worst flood. Today, that resilience is being tested. The species has already vanished from many European rivers. The Tisza and a few nearby waterways remain among the last places where this bloom still happens.
If the mayflies disappear, it would ripple through the entire ecosystem, affecting fish, birds, and every species that depends on them. The bloom is beautiful, but it is also a warning.
Reported from Szeged, Hungary.
#Hungary #TiszaRiver #Mayflies #Nature #ClimateChange #Szeged #Environment #Wildlife #Europe #CGTN #PabloGutierrez #Documentary #Science #Rivers #Conservation
This year, the bloom happened early again. Biologists believe climate change is shifting the timing of the event as warmer water reduces oxygen levels and disrupts the insects’ development. Some years the bloom is pushed into May. Other years a sudden cold front can delay it. The timing is becoming unpredictable.
Locals call it Tiszaviragzas, the Blooming of the Tisza. The insects spend three years hidden in the mud below the river, living only a few hours above it. For people who live along the water, the bloom carries deep meaning. Volunteers cleaned the riverbanks ahead of this year’s bloom, hoping to keep the Tisza healthy enough for the mayflies to return.
In Szeged, a bronze sculpture honors their brief flight, and a poem written in the 1800s calls the mayflies a symbol of resilience after the city’s worst flood. Today, that resilience is being tested. The species has already vanished from many European rivers. The Tisza and a few nearby waterways remain among the last places where this bloom still happens.
If the mayflies disappear, it would ripple through the entire ecosystem, affecting fish, birds, and every species that depends on them. The bloom is beautiful, but it is also a warning.
Reported from Szeged, Hungary.
#Hungary #TiszaRiver #Mayflies #Nature #ClimateChange #Szeged #Environment #Wildlife #Europe #CGTN #PabloGutierrez #Documentary #Science #Rivers #Conservation
How Climate Change Is Killing a Tradition
In northeastern Hungary, Szabolcs County was once known as the country’s apple belt. Families here produced more than a million tons of apples each year, supplying markets across Europe. Today, the orchards are shrinking, the trees are aging, and many farms are fighting to survive.
At the Vilmos family orchard, spring frosts destroyed almost every blossom. Summer heat scorched what little remained. For the first time in 20 years, the family will not harvest a single apple. Their story is now common across the region. More than 70 percent of orchards in Szabolcs County were hit by frost this year, and many farms say one more lost season could put them out of business.
Farmers are testing new varieties and installing wind machines to protect blossoms, but the cost is overwhelming. Experts say that only orchards with irrigation, frost protection and hail nets can survive Hungary’s new climate reality, and that building those systems is now three times more expensive than it used to be.
Three decades ago, Hungary grew apples without irrigation and without worrying about heatwaves. Today, farmers face extreme frosts, stronger storms and longer droughts. Production has fallen to less than half of what it used to be, threatening jobs, communities and a farming tradition that goes back generations.
For many in Szabolcs County, the future of Hungary’s apple belt now depends on whether these bare branches can bloom again.
#Hungary #Apples #Agriculture #ClimateChange #Farming #Europe #CGTN #PabloGutierrez #Documentary #Environment #Orchards #Szabolcs #FoodSecurity
At the Vilmos family orchard, spring frosts destroyed almost every blossom. Summer heat scorched what little remained. For the first time in 20 years, the family will not harvest a single apple. Their story is now common across the region. More than 70 percent of orchards in Szabolcs County were hit by frost this year, and many farms say one more lost season could put them out of business.
Farmers are testing new varieties and installing wind machines to protect blossoms, but the cost is overwhelming. Experts say that only orchards with irrigation, frost protection and hail nets can survive Hungary’s new climate reality, and that building those systems is now three times more expensive than it used to be.
Three decades ago, Hungary grew apples without irrigation and without worrying about heatwaves. Today, farmers face extreme frosts, stronger storms and longer droughts. Production has fallen to less than half of what it used to be, threatening jobs, communities and a farming tradition that goes back generations.
For many in Szabolcs County, the future of Hungary’s apple belt now depends on whether these bare branches can bloom again.
#Hungary #Apples #Agriculture #ClimateChange #Farming #Europe #CGTN #PabloGutierrez #Documentary #Environment #Orchards #Szabolcs #FoodSecurity
The EU’s Biggest Geothermal Network
In southern Hungary, the city of Szeged is quietly transforming how thousands of people heat their homes. Instead of relying on imported natural gas, Szeged has built the European Union’s largest municipal geothermal heating system, tapping hot water more than 2,000 meters underground.
For decades, the city’s district heating ran on gas pipelines that stretched across borders and came with rising costs and climate concerns. Now, a network of 27 wells, 16 heating plants and 250 kilometers of pipes delivers clean geothermal energy to more than 27,000 homes and 400 public and commercial buildings. Local engineers say that if you drill almost anywhere under Szeged, you find 90 degree water waiting to be used.
The shift was not cheap. With support from EU funds and private investors, Szeged spent nearly 80 million dollars to replace its old fossil fuel system. City officials say the investment is already paying off, cutting CO2 emissions by about 30,000 tons every year and improving long term energy security at a time of volatile gas prices and geopolitical tension.
In new developments like the Cedrus Liget residential park, heating and hot water come directly from the ground. Some residents receive up to five years of free heating as part of their move in package, keeping living costs low while showcasing what a fully integrated geothermal neighborhood can look like. Engineers there describe the complex as an “energy island”, less exposed to outside shocks and price swings.
Szeged’s experiment shows how an old European city can rewire its energy system without sacrificing comfort. As other towns across the continent look for ways to cut emissions and reduce dependence on imported fuels, this Hungarian city is offering a working model beneath its streets.
#Hungary #Szeged #Geothermal #RenewableEnergy #DistrictHeating #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition #EU #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #PabloGutierrez #CGTN
For decades, the city’s district heating ran on gas pipelines that stretched across borders and came with rising costs and climate concerns. Now, a network of 27 wells, 16 heating plants and 250 kilometers of pipes delivers clean geothermal energy to more than 27,000 homes and 400 public and commercial buildings. Local engineers say that if you drill almost anywhere under Szeged, you find 90 degree water waiting to be used.
The shift was not cheap. With support from EU funds and private investors, Szeged spent nearly 80 million dollars to replace its old fossil fuel system. City officials say the investment is already paying off, cutting CO2 emissions by about 30,000 tons every year and improving long term energy security at a time of volatile gas prices and geopolitical tension.
In new developments like the Cedrus Liget residential park, heating and hot water come directly from the ground. Some residents receive up to five years of free heating as part of their move in package, keeping living costs low while showcasing what a fully integrated geothermal neighborhood can look like. Engineers there describe the complex as an “energy island”, less exposed to outside shocks and price swings.
Szeged’s experiment shows how an old European city can rewire its energy system without sacrificing comfort. As other towns across the continent look for ways to cut emissions and reduce dependence on imported fuels, this Hungarian city is offering a working model beneath its streets.
#Hungary #Szeged #Geothermal #RenewableEnergy #DistrictHeating #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition #EU #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #PabloGutierrez #CGTN
Giving a Polluted River a Second Life
Once written off as one of Europe’s most polluted waterways, Hungary’s Tisza River is getting a second chance. Every year, volunteers from across Central and Eastern Europe gather to pull plastic from the water, map pollution hotspots and learn how to stop waste before it reaches the river.
The Tisza carries an estimated 80,000 cubic meters of trash toward the Danube each year. For more than a decade, coordinator Attila David Molnár and his team have hauled 450 tons of litter out of the river and blocked hundreds more from entering. Through the Aquatic Plastic Project, they are now training volunteers from Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria to organize cleanups, recycle river waste and build long term solutions.
Some volunteers go even further. Hungarian designer Krisztián Berberovics turns the same plastic collected from the water into kayaks, paddles and other long lasting gear so the river’s problem becomes part of its recovery. Environmental engineer Igor Jezdimirovic says the mission is not just about saving nature but protecting human health, while Serbian and Bulgarian participants say the program is inspiring similar action back home.
For these volunteers, removing trash is only the beginning. What rises from the Tisza now is a community that spans borders, proving that small groups of people can turn a polluted river into a story of hope.
#Hungary #TiszaRiver #RiverCleanup #PlasticPollution #Environment #Sustainability #Volunteers #ClimateAction #DanubeBasin #PabloGutierrez #CGTN
The Tisza carries an estimated 80,000 cubic meters of trash toward the Danube each year. For more than a decade, coordinator Attila David Molnár and his team have hauled 450 tons of litter out of the river and blocked hundreds more from entering. Through the Aquatic Plastic Project, they are now training volunteers from Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria to organize cleanups, recycle river waste and build long term solutions.
Some volunteers go even further. Hungarian designer Krisztián Berberovics turns the same plastic collected from the water into kayaks, paddles and other long lasting gear so the river’s problem becomes part of its recovery. Environmental engineer Igor Jezdimirovic says the mission is not just about saving nature but protecting human health, while Serbian and Bulgarian participants say the program is inspiring similar action back home.
For these volunteers, removing trash is only the beginning. What rises from the Tisza now is a community that spans borders, proving that small groups of people can turn a polluted river into a story of hope.
#Hungary #TiszaRiver #RiverCleanup #PlasticPollution #Environment #Sustainability #Volunteers #ClimateAction #DanubeBasin #PabloGutierrez #CGTN
Hungary’s New Climate Reality: Heat, Floods and Storms
Along the Danube Bend in Szentendre, Hungary, running a small riverside business now means watching the water as closely as the weather. Floods have swallowed terraces. Heatwaves have driven customers away. And violent storms have torn through towns across the country.
Hungary is warming **faster than the global average**, with temperatures rising about 1.15 degrees Celsius since the early 1900s. Summers are now hotter, droughts more intense and rains far more extreme. Meteorologists warn the Carpathian Basin is becoming a hotspot for heat stress and sudden, destructive storms.
Small business owners along the river are already feeling the impact, while scientists at Hungary’s Meteorological Service say the region must brace for more heatwaves, stronger winds and flash floods. Cities are responding with new heat alert systems, UV warnings, forest fire plans and local climate strategies.
In Hungary, climate change is no longer abstract. It’s closing restaurants, flooding homes, and reshaping daily routines.
This report from Szentendre explores how families, local governments and experts are adapting to a future that has already begun.
### **Hashtags**
#Hungary #ClimateChange #Danube #Heatwave #Flooding #ExtremeWeather #StormDamage #Szentendre #EuropeClimate #PabloGutierrez #CGTNEurope
Hungary is warming **faster than the global average**, with temperatures rising about 1.15 degrees Celsius since the early 1900s. Summers are now hotter, droughts more intense and rains far more extreme. Meteorologists warn the Carpathian Basin is becoming a hotspot for heat stress and sudden, destructive storms.
Small business owners along the river are already feeling the impact, while scientists at Hungary’s Meteorological Service say the region must brace for more heatwaves, stronger winds and flash floods. Cities are responding with new heat alert systems, UV warnings, forest fire plans and local climate strategies.
In Hungary, climate change is no longer abstract. It’s closing restaurants, flooding homes, and reshaping daily routines.
This report from Szentendre explores how families, local governments and experts are adapting to a future that has already begun.
### **Hashtags**
#Hungary #ClimateChange #Danube #Heatwave #Flooding #ExtremeWeather #StormDamage #Szentendre #EuropeClimate #PabloGutierrez #CGTNEurope
EVs Are Taking Over Hungary’s Used Car Market
Chinese electric vehicles are reshaping Hungary’s used car market. Once dominated by European and Japanese brands, the country is now seeing a surge in demand for models from MG and BYD, which offer modern design, strong range and far lower prices than most Western competitors.
Hungary registered a record 22,000 electric vehicles in 2024, and more than half of them were used imports. MG models like the ZS and EHS are among the most searched secondhand EVs in the country, often selling for under 22 thousand dollars. Meanwhile, BYD is gaining momentum fast, with searches for the ATTO 3, DOLPHIN and SEAL quadrupling in just one year.
But experts say affordability is still the biggest barrier. Charging infrastructure is growing, but slowly. And without subsidies, buyers often hesitate. That may soon change. BYD’s new factory in Hungary is expected to open earlier than planned, which industry analysts say could lower prices and speed up adoption across the country.
A few years ago, you would hardly see a Chinese-made car on the streets of Budapest. Now they are becoming part of everyday traffic.
This report looks at how Chinese EVs became the unexpected winners of Hungary’s secondhand market, and what that means for the country’s transition to clean transportation.
### Hashtags
#Hungary #ElectricVehicles #EVMarket #BYD #MG #ChineseCars #SustainableTransport #Budapest #CleanEnergy #PabloGutierrez #CGTNEurope
Hungary registered a record 22,000 electric vehicles in 2024, and more than half of them were used imports. MG models like the ZS and EHS are among the most searched secondhand EVs in the country, often selling for under 22 thousand dollars. Meanwhile, BYD is gaining momentum fast, with searches for the ATTO 3, DOLPHIN and SEAL quadrupling in just one year.
But experts say affordability is still the biggest barrier. Charging infrastructure is growing, but slowly. And without subsidies, buyers often hesitate. That may soon change. BYD’s new factory in Hungary is expected to open earlier than planned, which industry analysts say could lower prices and speed up adoption across the country.
A few years ago, you would hardly see a Chinese-made car on the streets of Budapest. Now they are becoming part of everyday traffic.
This report looks at how Chinese EVs became the unexpected winners of Hungary’s secondhand market, and what that means for the country’s transition to clean transportation.
### Hashtags
#Hungary #ElectricVehicles #EVMarket #BYD #MG #ChineseCars #SustainableTransport #Budapest #CleanEnergy #PabloGutierrez #CGTNEurope
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