The Government maintains the carbon reduction objectives for 2021 “despite” the ruling of the TC

The Government will maintain as a reference the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions that it plans to approve before the end of next year to be applied in 2021 “despite” the ruling of the Constitutional Court (TC) that denies the ability of the Catalan Law on climate change to set quantifiable objectives, before which they will opt for other reduction measures.

It has been explained by the Minister of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat, Damià Calvet, in an attention to the media on Monday, in which he has specified that the same sentence guarantees that the Government has instruments to develop its activity: “It is based on this ability to regulate emissions through Government plans, actions and grants that we continue to have the objectives as a frame of reference”.

He stressed that these are objectives “scientifically proven and form a European and global trend to fight against the climate” to which Catalonia wants to join, after the first meeting of the Commission of experts on climate change, appointed by the Parliament in application of the law and which has the mandate to propose the Carbon Budgets of Catalonia.

In its first meeting on Monday, the commission has debated the concept of Carbon Budgets, which will mark the emissions that both the sectors regulated by market and the diffuse one will be able to do in Catalonia, and must make a proposal to be approved first in the Government and then in the Parliament, with December 31, 2020 as the maximum date according to the norm.

These Budgets seek to lower emissions after the Generalitat declared Catalonia in a climate emergency and that emissions rose in 2018.

The committee will have to carry out an annual follow-up of these Budgets, and this Monday it has chosen for its presidency –which will be rotating– Montserrat Termes, a member of the group.

For the development of the Law, the Government will set the reference framework for both adaptation and mitigation of gases, which are part of the basis of these Carbon Budgets, and Calvet has said that they are ambitious objectives: “We want to reach emissions neutrality in 2050, which does not mean that there are no emissions, but they are neutralized by the whole of the activity and the economy of the country”

The minister recalled that the Law was reviewed by the previous central government of the PP and the current PSOE did not withdraw the resource, but has said that they still have tools to reduce emissions and that these Budgets will indicate reduction objectives both for sectors that already have limitations such as cement and energy industries –they must pay emission bills from a level– and for daily activity, such as transportation and homes.

On the current bill of regulated emission rights, he has claimed that the money that the State enters from these rights can be used by the Government, and added that they have verified that “everything that had been set as a reference from the COP in Paris –the UN climate conference of 2015– is in crisis.”

“We have seen that the reduction of emissions that had been proposed at the planetary level is not enough to be below the degree and a half in 2100, which is the increase in temperature that, if it were to occur, would have a serious impact on the natural environment and biodiversity” so they review and accelerate measures.

On other measures of the Law, he said that they plan to apply on January 1, 2020 the CO2 tax that will be finalist and will serve for actions for the natural environment and the preservation of biodiversity, currently in the previous works.

“THE MARKET RULES”

Asked about the proposals of environmental groups to limit short-haul flights, he said that it is an interesting debate but said that they cannot be reduced without the expansion of the basic rail network, also advocating that the airports of Girona-Costa Brava and Reus-Costa Daurada assume an eventual increase in Barcelona-El Prat.

“What we can’t do is make people or the economy stop moving, what we have to do is make it more sustainable. We are not thinking so much about mobility limitations, such as mobility being decarbonized”, for which elements such as the Mediterranean Corridor and the vignette in the road network are missing, he said.

To questions about flights that already have a good road and rail connection, such as Barcelona-Madrid, he said: “The market rules, and at the moment there is a very good Madrid Barcelona rail connection”, and in the rest of flights it should be studied case by case.

Source: Europe Press