First-ever Climate Change Law in Spain's history explained
10/04/2021
FOR the first time in history, Spain is about to bring a Climate Change Law into effect in a real and determined attempt to halt rising global temperatures, harmful emissions and the death of the world's oceans, among other crucial planetary emergencies – but are the new criteria enough?
Environmental groups do not think so. But some of their members believe it is at least a start, given that the country has never before had any such legislation, and the provisions within it are heading in the right direction.
The law itself is not what has disappointed ecologists, but the scope of it – although the more optimistic of them believe that it is a framework which can be expanded when its deficiencies become apparent, that it is a legal instrument which can be referred to when lobbying, and that, overall, it is a useful springboard for greater action which has not, hitherto, been available.
Drawn up by Spain's Commission for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge – part of the ministry of the same name, led by deputy president Teresa Ribera, which deals with environmental and energy affairs, and which has been given full jurisdiction over the law-making process, meaning the contents do not have to go through to Parliamentary debate – the new legislation gained 22 votes in favour, five against (from the far-right party Vox), and 10 abstentions, from the right-wing PP and the independent liberal-left Más País.
Those voting to push it through were the two parties governing Spain in coalition – the PSOE, or socialists, and Unidas Podemos, of which Más País is a 'breakaway' group – plus the Catalunya Left Republicans (Esquerra Republicana, or ERC), centre-right Ciudadanos, Basque reunification party EH-Bildu, and the southern Aragón-based party Teruel Existe, an outfit fighting rural population exodus and decline and which, for the first time ever, gained one seat in Parliament in the November 2019 general elections.
'Minimum objectives' for the years 2030 and 2050
The year 2050 is often cited by environmental experts – as a time by which increasing earth temperatures need to be kept to within specific limits, a time when countries have pledged to be carbon-neutral, and a time by which there will be more plastic in the sea than fish unless recycling means this material becomes a circular economy and it is no longer dumped.
It is a date which figures throughout the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and although it seems a long way off, it is as close to us now as the year 1992 is in the other direction and, as humans are living longer, today's new pensioners are very likely to still be alive by then if they remain healthy whilst babies born this year will still be in their 20s when it comes around.
And for the human race as a species, it is less than a drop in the ocean.
But first, 2030, which is now less than nine years away, or as close to us now as the spring of 2012.
By then, Spain wants to have reduced emissions from their level in 1990 by 23% - a rate of 46% in a century – and renewable sources such as wind, sun and water will make up a minimum of 74% of all electricity generated and 42% of all energy consumed.
Already, about a third of consumer energy generated comes from renewable sources, but in a country with an average of 300 days of sunlight, there is plenty of room for improvement.
By the year 2050, Spain wants to be completely carbon-neutral and for its electricity supply to be 100% renewable, with no fossil-fuel use at all – and has left the door open for this to happen earlier if possible.
No more fossil-fuel mining, zero carbon, emission-free cars
The new legislation provides that, once it comes into effect, no licences will be granted for fracking, offshore oil-drilling, uranium-mining, or digging or mining for any materials of radioactive or carbon properties, nor the exploitation of these.
Existing licences granted cannot be revoked in any case, but with no new ones granted, eventually, over the next few decades, this activity will come to a complete halt, by which time Spain will have had sufficient margin to explore replacing all energy sources with 'clean' power.
Current systems, equipment and technology will be gradually adapted so that new cars and small commercial vehicles eventually become emission-free versions, probably electric – meaning they will eventually be powered from sources that are uniquely natural such as wind and sun – with a view to ending all greenhouse-gas output from traffic no later than the year 2040.
This could turn out to be more ambitious than it appears; at present, few makes of car running on electricity or with hybrid engines, meaning they take either electricity or conventional fuel as the owner chooses, and only two with hydrogen engines, are widely available, so even for all brand-new cars manufactured to be emission-free, every make of vehicle on earth would need to engage with the criteria and agree to stop building petrol and diesel engines.
This would also mean enough refuelling points for electric car batteries would need to be available, potentially several at each and every existing service station – most small and medium-sized towns have a couple of recharging bays in public places, but not yet enough that the majority of the public could make the switch.
And even if this all happened tomorrow, by the year 2040, brand-new petrol-powered cars just hitting the road now would only be 19 years old; constantly-improving technology means it is perfectly feasible that today's new cars will be useable in 19 years' time, and widespread scrappage schemes generate huge amounts of waste, meaning a stringent recycling system to guarantee a circular used-car-part economy would have to be in place to prevent one environmental problem merely being substituted by another.
Healthier air in towns
Already announced late last year as a 'probable' for 2021, the new legislation enshrines in law the obligation of all towns and cities with a population of at least 50,000 inhabitants, and all towns on islands, to adopt 'sustainable mobility' plans before the year 2023, or effectively, within the next year and eight months.
This might include improved, affordable, reliable, frequent and accessible public transport, ideally using emission-free vehicles, and the requirement to offset their carbon footprint, or mitigate emissions produced through traffic, might involve planting more trees, since these literally 'drink' CO2 and produce oxygen.
It is likely this will mean all towns of 50,000 inhabitants or more will be required to set up traffic-free zones in their centres – something Barcelona is currently working on, Valencia has planned for this year, and the capital brought into force in 2015 with its famous 'Madrid Central' zone.
For major cities, this, in theory, should not be too difficult, as resident parking, guest parking, taxis, and loading and unloading bays are normally permitted within traffic-free zones and, for everyone else, extensive and regular bus services and an underground metro network means it is almost possible to live without a car in any case.
But for smaller towns, closer to the 50,000 mark, problems might arise: Visitors getting into and out of the urban hub to go to shops, offices and restaurants will need somewhere to park close by, particularly those with mobility issues.
And towns with slightly fewer than 50,000 inhabitants may have grown to this level by 2023, meaning they need to start planning now, just in case.
It is not clear how this will affect towns whose year-round population is much lower, but whose headcounts multiply three- or fourfold in summer, as is often the case in coastal locations.
Climate change and the pandemic
One of the many new situations that arose through the Covid-19 crisis was how lockdowns cause a spike in energy consumption, and householders were starting to find out just how energy-efficient or otherwise their properties were, maybe for the first time if they had habitually been commuters who literally treated their homes as a hotel, only 'living' in them overnight.
For this reason, Spain's new law will attempt to promote building renovation, through a specific Home Refurbishment and Urban Renewal programme, which could provide grants for those adding insulation, double-glazing, solar panels, or carrying out other works that reduce their power consumption.
Newer properties, especially brand-new builds, will probably be highly energy-efficient in any case, but older homes, even those built as recently as the turn of the century, may be lacking in some areas, and without financial help, their owners would not be able to afford to make adaptations to reduce electricity use – even though doing so would, in the long run, save them money.
Spain's government also plans to educate society on how climate change affects public health, and farmers on how to protect their crops against its effects.
This will affect the way climate change is taught in schools, and society's general awareness – at present, many believe 'global warming' just means 'better summers' and fewer woollies in winter, but in practice, increasing earth temperatures brings more extremes of weather: Much colder winters, much more frequent and aggressive storms, unseasonal weather, and instead of mere rainy or dry spells, a greater prevalence of exhausting droughts and devastating floods.
Many also believe that as temperatures on earth have always been rising, this is a natural phenomenon and will happen anyway – and that is true to a certain extent, but the long-term impact of industrialisation means they are rising much faster through human actions than they otherwise would have done.
Additionally, many believe climate change is a very long-term problem which will not affect them during their lifetimes, making it less urgent than other pressing current issues; in truth, the effects are already showing, particularly in the third world, and at the very minimum will produce annoyances such as certain staple supermarket products becoming 'extinct' through crop failure in developing countries; chocolate and coffee, for example.
It will not all be left in the hands of 'merely reactionary' groups, as dissenters and climate-change deniers fear: The new legislation in Spain will establish a committee of experts, scientists and other people with first-hand knowledge and sound proof, and who will continue to make policy recommendations, reporting at least annually to Parliament and holding debates within the government.
Why environmental groups are (partly) dissatisfied
Youth for Climate and Fridays for Future, organisations created through the inspiration of young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, call the new law 'disappointing' and 'unambitious', saying they had expected a 'breath of fresh air' after the 'pessimism of the pandemic' and 'so many demonstrations and debates', but that the law-making panel 'has not listened to science'.
Greenpeace and Ecologists in Action used that uniquely-Spanish-language and highly-descriptive adjective, 'decaffeinated', to describe the new law, which they said was 'fundamental' and 'eagerly awaited for a long time', and question whether its terms will come anywhere near Spain's fulfilling its commitment to the Paris Agreement.
They believe it 'leaves the door open' to continued use of fossil fuel.
But they are optimistic about certain aspects of it – the ban on uranium mining, the grants for building renovation, and the provisions for the finance industry to be able to calculate its carbon footprint.
Whilst Ecologists in Action describes the legislation as 'a missed opportunity', it is pleased to note that it will suppose an immediate ban on any new fossil-fuel extraction or radioactive mineral-mining actions from the very day it comes into force, and champions the emission-free or low-emission zone requirements for large towns, as well as coinciding with Greenpeace on the positive aspect of home and commercial premises renovations.
Yet, is their negativity justified? A law on climate change being passed for the first time in the country's history has to be, in itself, a motive for optimism, and the expert committee's rôle is to hold the government accountable for any failures that arise through loopholes in the legislation.
Then there is public pressure. A drive to increase awareness – and awareness has already soared in the past 10 years or so – means ordinary civilians care a lot more than they used to and are holding themselves accountable, law or no law.
So it stands to reason that this awareness and concern will continue to grow as the issue is exposed to a greater and greater degree, and society starts to learn it can live without fossil fuel, can get about comfortably without always having to use their cars, can survive with less plastic and that consumer prices decrease the more of it they recycle, as long as the facilities are put in place to enable them to do their bit.
And if the facilities are not put in place, this rising public consciousness is likely to lead to lobbying authorities until they do.
Finally, legislation that actually requires these authorities to take the necessary action to allow society to do its bit could be a very valuable tool in said lobbying.
At present, it seems the new Climate Change Law is about buying time – time to bring about an overhaul in energy sources, in car manufacturing processes, in setting up alternatives to car use in town centres, in amassing the cash needed for home refurbishments, and in educating society to an extent where everyone realises these measures are important and not merely a way of paying lip-service to activists.
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FOR the first time in history, Spain is about to bring a Climate Change Law into effect in a real and determined attempt to halt rising global temperatures, harmful emissions and the death of the world's oceans, among other crucial planetary emergencies – but are the new criteria enough?
Environmental groups do not think so. But some of their members believe it is at least a start, given that the country has never before had any such legislation, and the provisions within it are heading in the right direction.
The law itself is not what has disappointed ecologists, but the scope of it – although the more optimistic of them believe that it is a framework which can be expanded when its deficiencies become apparent, that it is a legal instrument which can be referred to when lobbying, and that, overall, it is a useful springboard for greater action which has not, hitherto, been available.
Drawn up by Spain's Commission for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge – part of the ministry of the same name, led by deputy president Teresa Ribera, which deals with environmental and energy affairs, and which has been given full jurisdiction over the law-making process, meaning the contents do not have to go through to Parliamentary debate – the new legislation gained 22 votes in favour, five against (from the far-right party Vox), and 10 abstentions, from the right-wing PP and the independent liberal-left Más País.
Those voting to push it through were the two parties governing Spain in coalition – the PSOE, or socialists, and Unidas Podemos, of which Más País is a 'breakaway' group – plus the Catalunya Left Republicans (Esquerra Republicana, or ERC), centre-right Ciudadanos, Basque reunification party EH-Bildu, and the southern Aragón-based party Teruel Existe, an outfit fighting rural population exodus and decline and which, for the first time ever, gained one seat in Parliament in the November 2019 general elections.
'Minimum objectives' for the years 2030 and 2050
The year 2050 is often cited by environmental experts – as a time by which increasing earth temperatures need to be kept to within specific limits, a time when countries have pledged to be carbon-neutral, and a time by which there will be more plastic in the sea than fish unless recycling means this material becomes a circular economy and it is no longer dumped.
It is a date which figures throughout the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and although it seems a long way off, it is as close to us now as the year 1992 is in the other direction and, as humans are living longer, today's new pensioners are very likely to still be alive by then if they remain healthy whilst babies born this year will still be in their 20s when it comes around.
And for the human race as a species, it is less than a drop in the ocean.
But first, 2030, which is now less than nine years away, or as close to us now as the spring of 2012.
By then, Spain wants to have reduced emissions from their level in 1990 by 23% - a rate of 46% in a century – and renewable sources such as wind, sun and water will make up a minimum of 74% of all electricity generated and 42% of all energy consumed.
Already, about a third of consumer energy generated comes from renewable sources, but in a country with an average of 300 days of sunlight, there is plenty of room for improvement.
By the year 2050, Spain wants to be completely carbon-neutral and for its electricity supply to be 100% renewable, with no fossil-fuel use at all – and has left the door open for this to happen earlier if possible.
No more fossil-fuel mining, zero carbon, emission-free cars
The new legislation provides that, once it comes into effect, no licences will be granted for fracking, offshore oil-drilling, uranium-mining, or digging or mining for any materials of radioactive or carbon properties, nor the exploitation of these.
Existing licences granted cannot be revoked in any case, but with no new ones granted, eventually, over the next few decades, this activity will come to a complete halt, by which time Spain will have had sufficient margin to explore replacing all energy sources with 'clean' power.
Current systems, equipment and technology will be gradually adapted so that new cars and small commercial vehicles eventually become emission-free versions, probably electric – meaning they will eventually be powered from sources that are uniquely natural such as wind and sun – with a view to ending all greenhouse-gas output from traffic no later than the year 2040.
This could turn out to be more ambitious than it appears; at present, few makes of car running on electricity or with hybrid engines, meaning they take either electricity or conventional fuel as the owner chooses, and only two with hydrogen engines, are widely available, so even for all brand-new cars manufactured to be emission-free, every make of vehicle on earth would need to engage with the criteria and agree to stop building petrol and diesel engines.
This would also mean enough refuelling points for electric car batteries would need to be available, potentially several at each and every existing service station – most small and medium-sized towns have a couple of recharging bays in public places, but not yet enough that the majority of the public could make the switch.
And even if this all happened tomorrow, by the year 2040, brand-new petrol-powered cars just hitting the road now would only be 19 years old; constantly-improving technology means it is perfectly feasible that today's new cars will be useable in 19 years' time, and widespread scrappage schemes generate huge amounts of waste, meaning a stringent recycling system to guarantee a circular used-car-part economy would have to be in place to prevent one environmental problem merely being substituted by another.
Healthier air in towns
Already announced late last year as a 'probable' for 2021, the new legislation enshrines in law the obligation of all towns and cities with a population of at least 50,000 inhabitants, and all towns on islands, to adopt 'sustainable mobility' plans before the year 2023, or effectively, within the next year and eight months.
This might include improved, affordable, reliable, frequent and accessible public transport, ideally using emission-free vehicles, and the requirement to offset their carbon footprint, or mitigate emissions produced through traffic, might involve planting more trees, since these literally 'drink' CO2 and produce oxygen.
It is likely this will mean all towns of 50,000 inhabitants or more will be required to set up traffic-free zones in their centres – something Barcelona is currently working on, Valencia has planned for this year, and the capital brought into force in 2015 with its famous 'Madrid Central' zone.
For major cities, this, in theory, should not be too difficult, as resident parking, guest parking, taxis, and loading and unloading bays are normally permitted within traffic-free zones and, for everyone else, extensive and regular bus services and an underground metro network means it is almost possible to live without a car in any case.
But for smaller towns, closer to the 50,000 mark, problems might arise: Visitors getting into and out of the urban hub to go to shops, offices and restaurants will need somewhere to park close by, particularly those with mobility issues.
And towns with slightly fewer than 50,000 inhabitants may have grown to this level by 2023, meaning they need to start planning now, just in case.
It is not clear how this will affect towns whose year-round population is much lower, but whose headcounts multiply three- or fourfold in summer, as is often the case in coastal locations.
Climate change and the pandemic
One of the many new situations that arose through the Covid-19 crisis was how lockdowns cause a spike in energy consumption, and householders were starting to find out just how energy-efficient or otherwise their properties were, maybe for the first time if they had habitually been commuters who literally treated their homes as a hotel, only 'living' in them overnight.
For this reason, Spain's new law will attempt to promote building renovation, through a specific Home Refurbishment and Urban Renewal programme, which could provide grants for those adding insulation, double-glazing, solar panels, or carrying out other works that reduce their power consumption.
Newer properties, especially brand-new builds, will probably be highly energy-efficient in any case, but older homes, even those built as recently as the turn of the century, may be lacking in some areas, and without financial help, their owners would not be able to afford to make adaptations to reduce electricity use – even though doing so would, in the long run, save them money.
Spain's government also plans to educate society on how climate change affects public health, and farmers on how to protect their crops against its effects.
This will affect the way climate change is taught in schools, and society's general awareness – at present, many believe 'global warming' just means 'better summers' and fewer woollies in winter, but in practice, increasing earth temperatures brings more extremes of weather: Much colder winters, much more frequent and aggressive storms, unseasonal weather, and instead of mere rainy or dry spells, a greater prevalence of exhausting droughts and devastating floods.
Many also believe that as temperatures on earth have always been rising, this is a natural phenomenon and will happen anyway – and that is true to a certain extent, but the long-term impact of industrialisation means they are rising much faster through human actions than they otherwise would have done.
Additionally, many believe climate change is a very long-term problem which will not affect them during their lifetimes, making it less urgent than other pressing current issues; in truth, the effects are already showing, particularly in the third world, and at the very minimum will produce annoyances such as certain staple supermarket products becoming 'extinct' through crop failure in developing countries; chocolate and coffee, for example.
It will not all be left in the hands of 'merely reactionary' groups, as dissenters and climate-change deniers fear: The new legislation in Spain will establish a committee of experts, scientists and other people with first-hand knowledge and sound proof, and who will continue to make policy recommendations, reporting at least annually to Parliament and holding debates within the government.
Why environmental groups are (partly) dissatisfied
Youth for Climate and Fridays for Future, organisations created through the inspiration of young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, call the new law 'disappointing' and 'unambitious', saying they had expected a 'breath of fresh air' after the 'pessimism of the pandemic' and 'so many demonstrations and debates', but that the law-making panel 'has not listened to science'.
Greenpeace and Ecologists in Action used that uniquely-Spanish-language and highly-descriptive adjective, 'decaffeinated', to describe the new law, which they said was 'fundamental' and 'eagerly awaited for a long time', and question whether its terms will come anywhere near Spain's fulfilling its commitment to the Paris Agreement.
They believe it 'leaves the door open' to continued use of fossil fuel.
But they are optimistic about certain aspects of it – the ban on uranium mining, the grants for building renovation, and the provisions for the finance industry to be able to calculate its carbon footprint.
Whilst Ecologists in Action describes the legislation as 'a missed opportunity', it is pleased to note that it will suppose an immediate ban on any new fossil-fuel extraction or radioactive mineral-mining actions from the very day it comes into force, and champions the emission-free or low-emission zone requirements for large towns, as well as coinciding with Greenpeace on the positive aspect of home and commercial premises renovations.
Yet, is their negativity justified? A law on climate change being passed for the first time in the country's history has to be, in itself, a motive for optimism, and the expert committee's rôle is to hold the government accountable for any failures that arise through loopholes in the legislation.
Then there is public pressure. A drive to increase awareness – and awareness has already soared in the past 10 years or so – means ordinary civilians care a lot more than they used to and are holding themselves accountable, law or no law.
So it stands to reason that this awareness and concern will continue to grow as the issue is exposed to a greater and greater degree, and society starts to learn it can live without fossil fuel, can get about comfortably without always having to use their cars, can survive with less plastic and that consumer prices decrease the more of it they recycle, as long as the facilities are put in place to enable them to do their bit.
And if the facilities are not put in place, this rising public consciousness is likely to lead to lobbying authorities until they do.
Finally, legislation that actually requires these authorities to take the necessary action to allow society to do its bit could be a very valuable tool in said lobbying.
At present, it seems the new Climate Change Law is about buying time – time to bring about an overhaul in energy sources, in car manufacturing processes, in setting up alternatives to car use in town centres, in amassing the cash needed for home refurbishments, and in educating society to an extent where everyone realises these measures are important and not merely a way of paying lip-service to activists.