CO2 emissions grew in 2025 in Spain due to the increased use of gas after the blackout

The rise is slight jeopardizes the climate goal committed to 2030

Greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for global warming, rebounded in 2025 in Spain, complicating the climate targets assumed before the EU, according to provisional data from the Sustainability Observatory (OS). The increased use of natural gas after the April blackout and the increase in fuel used in road transport are the two main factors behind this trend. Greenhouse gas emissions increased last year by 0.6% to reach 270.04 million tonnes CO2 equivalent, according to the data analysed. This figure represents a decrease of 5.8% compared to the 1990 data (which serve as a reference). This is also 38% less than in 2005. But the achievement is far from the climate target committed by Spain to the European Commission for 2030. Specifically, the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec) established as a goal that emissions must fall by 32% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. “At this rate, emissions should decrease by around 5% each year between now and 2030, which seems very unlikely,” says Fernando Prieto, director of the Sustainability Observatory.

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