After several initiatives and attempts to approve a Law of State Climate Change, it seems that the one raised by the Ministry of Transition Ecological and Demographic Challenge will be the definitive one. The Council of Ministers has given the go-ahead to the Climate Change Law that seeks to decarbonize the economy and Spanish society for the year 2050. It also seeks to do it fairly by allowing that the most vulnerable people can adapt to the changes.

These changes are:

  • LOW EMISSION CITIES

All municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants will have to delimit zones of low emissions by 2023. The insular territories are also are affected by this measure.

  • NON-POLLUTING MOBILITY

By 2050 the total fleet of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles It has to be electric or hydrogen. The terminology used is: emissions zero per km. In other words, its fuel does not emit greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse directly into the atmosphere.

  • PROMOTING RESEARCH AND FIGHTING AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

Funding for research and mitigating the consequences will be strengthened of climate change, as well as making the country less vulnerable to its impacts. Adaptation to climate change will be mandatory in planning and management urban development, construction and transport infrastructure.

  • CLEAN ENERGY

It is established that the electricity mix must be 100% renewable by 2050. by 2030 that figure will have to reach 70%. Also, it will be necessary to improve the energy efficiency, reducing primary energy consumption by 35%.

  • EMISSIONS DROP

By the year 2050, CO2 neutrality must be achieved, that is, the Total greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted into the atmosphere will have must be equal to or less than the capacity to absorb them by the vegetated spaces that exist throughout the state. As an intermediate objective, to achieve the latter, by 2030 emissions will have to have been reduced by 20% compared to what was issued in 1990.

  • CONTINUOUS MONITORING

In order to achieve these objectives, the National Energy and Climate Plans (PINEC) will be gradually approved. The first is ready and sent to the European Commission, the INEC 2021-2030. It presents a somewhat more ambitious goal to reduce emissions for the decade, 23% compared to 1990 emissions. It is also expected to achieve an electricity mix with 42% from renewable sources, doubling the current figure.

  • JUST TRANSITION

A transversal socioeconomic objective is included in all these measures, this is the promotion of economic activity and the improvement of the employability of workers in the transition to low carbon development seeking to order the cessation of activity of the thermal generation plants.