Spain has approved a new draft climate law which seeks to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The draft – which must now await parliamentary approval – was proposed by Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), which is headed up by vice president Teresa Ribera.
Photo: Gustavo Fring / Pexels
The announcement follows the country’s declaration of a climate emergency earlier this year.
Once approved, the law will immediately ban all new coal, oil and gas extraction projects, end fossil fuel subsidies and lay out a pathway to generate 100% renewable energy and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
The first goal of the bill is to see emissions drop by 23% on 1990 levels by the end of the decade, and renewable sources in the country’s total energy consumption must double to 42% - a target the government describes as being consistent with the EU bloc-wide target to cut emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
The new draft also puts the country in a position to match with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the EU Green Deal proposed by the European Commission, which could see Europe become the first net-zero continent by 2050.
To achieve these goals, an interim renewable energy goal of 35% for final energy consumption will be set for 2030, which will require the electricity sector to secure 70% of its output from renewable sources.
Energy efficiency measures will also be introduced to ensure that primary energy consumption is reduced by at least 35%.
All new road vehicles would need to produce no emissions by 2040 and plans will be made to increase low emission zones in urban areas, while facilitating walking, cycling, and greater use of public transport.
The draft could feasibly generate more than €200 billion worth of investment over the next decade and create up to 250,000 new jobs each year.
The government would also seek to take advantage of the widespread disruption created by the continued global pandemic.
In a statement made with the announcement of the bill, Vice President Ribera said: “At a time when we have to tackle the recovery process against Covid-19, the energy transition is going to become a determining driving force to generate economic activity and employment in the short term and to do so in a manner consistent with what we will need as a country in the middle and in the long term.
“We have identified the goals and tools, robust planning has been designed, we are confident that the energy transition will have positive impacts on our economy and well-being, and we know that they can begin to materialise immediately,” added Ribera. “This project gives, finally, an institutional framework to the action that science and people ask of us, and it comes at a time when it is more necessary than ever.”
The draft law proposes the country “take advantage of all the opportunities in terms of modernisation of the economy, industry, job creation and investment attraction that opens the transit towards inclusive prosperity and respectful with the limits of the planet.”
It also proposes that measures be put in place to allow for a clean transition for the most vulnerable groups and demographic areas.
In addition, it also suggests that there should be education programmes available with training that detail the global challenge of battling climate change and strengthening climate governance through the creation of an independent Committee of Experts on climate change, as well as an energy transition which would be responsible for evaluating and making recommendations on energy and climate change policies and measures.
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