The Decree of the carbon footprint in the Balearic Islands comes into force

This Decree completes the Law on Energy Transition and Climate Change, and will involve medium and large companies in the fight against climate change and decarbonization

This Saturday, January 1, the Carbon Footprint Decree has entered into force, which will involve medium and large companies in the fight against climate change and the decarbonization process, identifying the main emitters and making them co-responsible for this fight with plans to reduce emissions and compensate for their footprint.

This Decree aims to ensure compliance with the greenhouse gas reduction objectives of Law 10/2019, on climate change and energy transition, and determines that the organizations subject to the scope of the Decree must calculate and verify the diffuse emissions of their facilities for time intervals of three years, as well as provide the plans for reducing their diffuse emissions to meet the objectives of mitigation of climate change in the territory of the Balearic Islands.

Thus, this Decree establishes that, during the first year, the calculation of diffuse emissions must be verified by an external verification body, while in the second and third years the emissions data will be reported without external verification through a carbon footprint report validated by a responsible declaration of the organization. Finally, in the fourth year, the calculation and accreditation of the origin of diffuse emissions will entail a new external verification of both the carbon footprint of the year to be registered and that of the previous two years not verified, and thus must proceed successively with the registration of the carbon footprint every three years.

The Vice President of the Government and Minister of Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, Juan Pedro Yllanes, explained to both the Governing Council and the Interdepartmental Commission on Climate Change that the registration of the carbon footprint will be mandatory for large and medium-sized companies that develop totally or partially their activity in the Balearic Islands, in the Autonomous Administration of the Islands and in the instrumental public sector on which it depends.

In addition, he informed that the registration will be voluntary for the rest of the business fabric and the citizenship, a fact that will allow the Government of the Balearic Islands to have accurate information on the diffuse emissions that exist in the Islands, and to initiate the necessary mechanisms for their reduction through plans and the preparation of carbon budgets that allow establishing reduction commitments by sectors of activity and islands.

It should be noted that Law 10/2019 establishes objectives that must be achieved, both in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and in the improvement of energy efficiency, as well as in the penetration of renewable energies. In this sense, the Law establishes:

— Emission reduction targets (using 1990 as the base year):

(a) 40 % by 2030.

(b) 90 % by 2050.

— Energy efficiency targets (based on 2005):

(a) 26 % by 2030.

(b) 40 % by 2050.

— Renewable energy penetration targets:

(a) 35 % by 2030.

b) 100% by 2050.

This Decree complies with point 1 of article 28 of the Law and establishes the necessary mechanisms to guarantee the compatibility of the Autonomous Registry that is created with the State Registry, regulated in Royal Decree 163/2014, of March 14, which creates the Registry of carbon footprint, compensation and carbon dioxide absorption projects, in order to transmit, trace and manage emission data and control.

It should be noted that the structure of the carbon footprint information stored in the Balearic Registry will be fully compatible with that contained in the State Registry. That said, the Government of the Balearic Islands will develop in more detail the registration of the carbon footprint in accordance with this Decree and will request, after a period of adaptation, a broader and more detailed information on the type and origin of its emissions. In order for the adaptation to be progressive, a methodology and a registration form will be established for the first three years of validity of the Decree, and another methodology and a different form for the registration of the carbon footprint in successive years.

Thus, it is established that, during the first three years of entry into force of the Decree, both the subjects who are obliged to register and those who do it voluntarily must register their carbon footprint in the Balearic Registry through a form, which requests the same information as the form of the State Registry to facilitate compatibility. On the other hand, from the fourth year of validity, the Balearic Registry will request more precise and detailed information on the origin of diffuse emissions, and the subjects obliged to register must register their carbon footprint through a new form.

Source: Govern Illes Balears