PROGRAMS
WEBINAR ON THE PROTECTION OF THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION
"CREATION CARE WEBINAR"
23 April 2024, 17-19.00
EARTH DAY
ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION ON PRESSING ISSUES OF SUSTAINABILITY
Workshop
jointly organised by the
Pázmány Péter Catholic University GENEZIS College of Excellence
and the Hungarian University of Physical Education and Sport Sciences
30 April 2024 | TF, Building K1, Room B002 Tokyo
The central topic of the lecture was the relevant legal background, therefore, after the introduction of the applicable legislation (e.g., Article XXI of the Fundamental Law, Section 242 of the Criminal Code, Section 60 of Act LIII of 1996) and directives (2008/99/EC; 2021/0422/COD), the attributes of nature-damaging offences, such as high latency, detectability of the offence, investigation of culpability and definition of the object of the offence, were highlighted. Dr. Teszár presented the civil, criminal and administrative law instruments applied in the field of environmental protection, and drew attention to the responsibility and key role of future generations. The lecture was concluded with Konrad Lorenz's words: "It is certain that the threats to the world are growing at an alarming rate, but at the same time the number of people who are facing these threats is growing."
A friendly and informal professional discussion took place, during which participants were able to ask questions and make comments. During the conservation workshop, a wide range of tasty snacks were offered to the participants. The event provided a great opportunity to get a comprehensive overview not only from a legal perspective, but also of the natural processes that are crucial for the protection of creation.
The Legal Regulation of Nature Conservation
workshop
On March 07, 2024, the Genesis Student College of Excellence, operating within the framework of the Research Institute for the Integrity of Creation of the St. Pope John Paul II Research Centre, organised a professional roundtable discussion entitled The Legal Regulation of Nature Conservation.
The speakers were Dr. László Teszár, Department leading prosecutor of the Prosecutor General's Office, and Dr. Sándor Bérces, ecologist researcher at the Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Ágnes Tahyné Kovács, founder and leader of the Genesis Student College of Excellence.
The main mission of the Student College is the protection of creation, promotion of the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, climate protection and sustainability, and its members carry out research in their chosen field of environmental law in pursuit of these goals.
The event started with a welcome speech by Dr. Ágnes Tahyné Kovács, followed by Dr. Sándor Bérces. To understand today's problems, we need to look to the past for answers, so Dr. Sándor Bérces used a cosmic calendar to show how our environment took shape from the Big Bang to our days. Through the study of the typical plant and animal species of the ages, we arrived at the species we have today, while the speaker warned of the importance of preserving biodiversity and illustrated the situation with the exquisite example of the aeroplane. By listening to the evolutionary history of the Carpathians and the Pannonian Basin, we learned about the relics we can find in our country, such as the Primula auricula (also known as the bear's ear), a glacial relict species. We were given a lot of important information, for example, in what way invasive species could pose challenges for the coming years, but we also learned about what areas the National Park Directorate and the Nature Conservation Authority are responsible for, or what habitats can be found in our surroundings in a near-natural state.
The first speaker covered the topic from an environmental point of view, while Dr. László Teszár provided a complex overview of the legal side. He pointed out that nature conservation is not only a legal obligation, but also an obligation from the perspective of morality, ethics and creation protection. In his presentation he spoke about the role of the prosecution service and how it can effectively take action against those who damage and endanger the environment and nature.
WATER IN LANDSCAPE
The invited guests of the workshop organized by the GENEZIS Student College of Excellence on 27 February, 2024 were:
Dr. Miklós Szilvácsku, landscape architect, landscape ecologist, lawyer (MATE)
Virág Kutnyánszky, landscape architect, student of the Doctoral School of Landscape Architecture and Landscape Ecology of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE)
Zentainé dr. Vera Gáspár, advisor to the office of the deputy commissioner representing the interests of future generations (AJBH)
Zsuzsanna Szecskó-Tóth, advisor to the office of the deputy commissioner representing the interests of future generations (AJBH)
VENUE OF THE WORKSHOP: PPKE JÁK Dean's Hall, 1088 Budapest, 28. Szentkirályi street, 2nd floor
The audience included colleagues from MATE, BME, PPKE, AJBH, and members of the GENEZIS Student College of Excellence. A high school student from Debrecen, who is well-acquainted with water management, was also present.
In the first half of the workshop, Dr Zsolt Szilvácsku and Virág Kutnyánszky presented the results of their research. They introduced the types of water processes and their interrelationships. They also used illustrative maps based on their own research results to show how areas can be classified and protected using the tools of legal regulation. They highlighted the specific role of buffer zones, while pointing out that different areas can often be graded according to different criteria.
Afterwards, the colleagues of the AJBH, Zentainé Dr. Vera Gáspár and Zsuzsanna Szecskó-Tóth spoke about the practice of water protection in the office of the ombudsman and the water protection framework provided by the Fundamental Law. In particular, they discussed the additional obligations of the owners of areas belonging to ecological networks. They highlighted and named the current funding opportunities that can help landowners to retain water (e.g., the LIFE Programme).
Finally, Gábor Murányi, a PhD student at the Budapest University of Technology, presented the results of his research in civil engineering, with startling calculations up to the year 2100. He spoke about the potential of water retention and storage, the related support system, and the role of irrigation and landscape management communities. His research estimates that there is an annual loss of about 700 million m3 of water in Hungary in the Great Plain alone. Irrigation clusters do not provide long-term protection, since if the groundwater level drops below 3 meters, it is not possible to extract water for the vegetation. These clusters function merely as "iron lungs".
Questions from the audience triggered debate and discussion.
Our series of articles on Creation protection has been launched
The Országút public periodical and the Research Institute for the Integrity of Creation with the cooperation of the GENEZIS Student College of Excellence have launched a series of articles on creation protection.
The protection of the created world, the creation protection approach is, in the broadest sense, the protection of life. In contrast to other environmental and nature protection approaches, it does not focus solely on the natural and built environment but also considers the role of human beings to be crucial.
We participated in the Educatio Expo on 12 January 2024.
It is always a pleasure to interact with potential students and discuss topics of interest to them.
In addition to being an excellent entry point for students, Educatio Expo is also an ideal platform for academics from interdisciplinary fields to connect, exchange ideas and thoughts, and make new contacts.
GENEZIS Christmas Day
The GENEZIS Excellence Student Workshop closed the year already planning for the future.
At the convivial meeting, we said goodbye to our founding year,
2023, by discussing the research topics, experiences, resources and research methods we have so far.
GENEZIS Workshop Roundtable Discussion
Youth in Europe for our country and climate protection
On the occasion of the EU Presidency, we discuss the work of young people in the European Union institutions that can also be linked to climate protection.
The event is co-organised by the St Hedvig Club.
Location: 1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi u. 28., III. floor 310.
At the end of the programme we will host a mini reception for all participants!
First Saint Martin's Day
The Research Institute for the Integrity of Creation of the Saint Pope John Paul II. Research Centre of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University and the Genesis Excellence Student Circle are jointly organizing the first Saint Martin's Day, which aims to explore the correlations between poverty and the aspects relevant to sustainable development and to convey them to the audience of the Round Table in an understandable way. The Caritas Group and the St. Hedwig Club of PPKE JÁK are collaborating partners.
The target audience of the round table is the general public interested in the protection of creation, and university students, especially students of Catholic higher education institutions.
Venue: PPKE JÁK, St. Pope John Paul II. Hall (Ceremonial Hall),
1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi street 28. 2nd floor.
During the event break, you are welcome
to enjoy refreshments and sweet and savory snacks in the foyer of the
Ceremonial Hall.
We welcome everyone with an interest in creation protection!
The event is supported under the project "Sustainability, resilience – the social challenges of climate change and adaptation to it". Funded by the Ministry of Technology and Industry – ID: EKPPF/922/2021-ITM_SZER
