The Basque Government declares a climate emergency for a carbon-neutral Euskadi with “urgent and ambitious” actions

The lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, has declared this Tuesday “the situation of climate emergency” in order to achieve a carbon-neutral Euskadi “no later than 2050”, through “urgent and ambitious” actions. In addition, he has assured that it will be “a central objective of the country”, which will have means and economic resources, and has committed to take into account climate change in all public policies.

Urkullu has read an institutional declaration of the Basque Government of climate emergency, in which he recalls that euskadi is a pioneer in the commitment to sustainable development, respect for the environment and the strategy to combat climate change.

The president of the Basque Executive understands that, “since there is an international consensus on climate change, which could lead to crisis situations and catastrophes in different parts of the planet”, this is “one of the most urgent and complex challenges”.

The lehendakari pointed out that Basque society is moving “towards a carbon-neutral economy”, and has assumed its “share of responsibility in the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies with a deep and demanding commitment”.

In his opinion, “the Basque Environmental Strategy for Sustainable Development 2002-2020 and the Framework Programmes approved every five years have framed the orientation of the policy” of the Basque Country in this area. “Our environmental policy is closely aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and with the EU Strategy,” he said.

Iñigo Urkullu stressed that the Basque Government approved in 2015 the Euskadi Climate Change Strategy, “Klima 2050”, and the Energy Strategy 2030 in 2016, through which they assume the principle of “shared responsibility that governs international policies to reduce emissions and on the energy transition”.

For the president of the Basque Executive, “the fight against climate change is a global challenge that concerns everyone, especially the closest entities”.

Urkullu pointed out that international organizations have stressed that the “Commitment of the Regions” is fundamental in the face of the climate crisis and “Euskadi has demonstrated this commitment with facts”.

He also explained that an initiative of “great practical relevance” has been the implementation of the Udalsarea 2030 Network, which has allowed numerous Basque municipalities to be incorporated into these climate objectives.

Based on this philosophy of networking, the Basque Country is an active part of the Alliance of States, Communities and Regions against climate change ‘The Climate Group’, made up of governments representing more than 12% of the world’s population.

As co-chair of this Alliance, the Lehendakari representation participated in the New York World Summit in September 2014 and made a “collective commitment to achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050”.

In December 2015, the Basque Government took part in COP 21 in Paris on behalf of the international alliance “The Climate Group”, and in May 2016 Iñigo Urkullu signed the adhesion to the Global Agreement on Climate Change, which “establishes the need to carry out a responsible environmental policy to keep the global average temperature well below two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels”.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE

Urkullu has highlighted that, from these Summits, the Basque Country “has been an international example of reference in this commitment”. “The EU recognizes us as one of the leading regions in climate action, with a model of sustainable economic growth and in line with respect for the environment,” he said.

In this line, he added that, since 1995, GDP growth in the Basque Country has been 65%, while in the same period greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 20%. “Certainly, we have to continue advancing in this process of reducing emissions, but it is necessary to recognize the effort made to develop a more sustainable growth model,” he said.

After highlighting that “today euskadi is among the top five countries in Europe in energy efficiency”, he said that it is “a country of industrial tradition that is managing to efficiently decouple economic production and the emission of greenhouse gases”.

In fact, the Basque Parliament has approved the new Energy Sustainability Law 4/2019 and the Governing Council the Comprehensive Electric Mobility Plan in 2018. “The road traveled has been exemplary,” he said.

For this reason, he indicated that “this collective commitment materializes in a new step because the Basque Government has decided to join the political, social and academic institutions around the world, and declare the situation of Climate and Environmental Emergency, as an expression of the commitment to adopt urgent and ambitious actions in the set of policies developed” by the Executive.

In this way, it “joins political, social and academic institutions around the world with the formal declaration of climate and environmental emergency, with the aim of achieving a carbon-neutral territory”, no later than the year 2050, as well as achieving “a territory and a society more resilient in the face of the climate emergency”.

The objective of the Basque Government is to place this issue “as a central objective of the country”. “It is not a question of amplifying any type of unconscious alarmism, but of giving this challenge the true dimension and attention it deserves,” he said.

In his opinion, “global warming is an unquestionable reality.” “The Basque Country is ready to face the challenge of ecological and energy transformation as an opportunity. This global transition in which we are immersed demands in parallel an industrial, fiscal, energy, research and innovation policy that serves as an accompaniment and revulsive, “he said.

The lehendakari affirms that this commitment “entails the adoption of decisions and the implementation of specific instruments that allow an effective response to the Declaration of Climate Emergency”, as reflected in the Draft Law on Climate Change.

It is also contemplated in the new Draft Law on Environmental Administration of the Basque Country, which, among other issues, raises the use of 40% of recycled materials in public works as a commitment to the circular economy”. “There is no doubt that these two rules will have a fundamental role in the contribution of the Basque Country to overcoming the global problem of climate change,” he said.

The lehendakari has expressed his “firm commitment” so that, in the design and application of all public policies, “the perspective of the impact of climate change is taken into account.” To this end, it will promote the necessary emission reduction and adaptation measures.

In addition, the means and economic resources will be available to develop the necessary policies, so that part of the budgets of the Basque Country will be allocated to actions with an impact on climate change, and actions, measures, services and economic programs will be monitored.

In the same way, they will promote agreements and agreements to co-finance concrete programs and actions aimed at promoting climate action in the Territorial and Local Institutions of the Basque Country. The Basque Government expresses its “full conviction that the Basque Country can lead this challenge and turn it into a lever of transformation towards a more competitive and climate-neutral economy”.

Fuetne: Gipuzkoa News