The climate change law, one of the first tasks for the new Government

Spain will host the UN climate COP25 in Madrid without having been able to approve its Climate Change and Energy Transition Law (LCCTE), so it will be one of the first tasks that the executive that comes out of the Elections of November 10 will have to face.

The draft LCCTE prepared by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition (Miteco) was approved in February of this year by the Council of Ministers.

Together with the Energy and Climate Plan and the Just Transition Strategy, they form the Government’s energy and climate regulatory package

The elaboration of a Climate Change Law was, in addition, one of the coincident points in environmental matters -in many cases with almost literal redactions-, of the latest proposals presented by the PSOE and Unidas Podemos to unlock the formation of a Government, which finally was not possible.

The draft draft responds to Spain’s commitments to the European Union regarding the decarbonization of the economy with a view to 2050 and compliance with the Paris Agreement.

The pillars of the new regulations are the reduction of greenhouse gases, the introduction of renewable energies, energy efficiency and sustainable mobility, said then the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.

The draft envisages a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to 1990, and a 90% reduction in 2050.

This decarbonization process will have effects on health: the benefits have been estimated in a reduction in the number of premature deaths due to air pollution of 2,222 fewer deaths in 2030 compared to the trend scenario.

This implies going from 8,951 to 6,729 premature deaths, a reduction of 25%, according to data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

The first draft of the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition aroused controversy in the automotive sector, including, among other measures, that in 2040 it would be prohibited to sell and register vehicles powered by gasoline, diesel, gas or hybrids.

A fundamental leg of this climate framework is the “just transition strategy” with measures that ensure an “equitable and solidary” treatment for the territories and workers of the sectors most affected by this transition to a low-carbon economy, such as mining, thermal or nuclear.

Thus, the text foresees applying an Urgent Action Plan in the period 2019-2021 for the reactivation of regions affected by the closure of mines, coal-fired power plants and the nuclear power plants of Garoña (Burgos) and Zorita (Guadalajara).

The draft of Spain’s comprehensive national energy and climate plan was rated as the best in the European Union, according to a report by the European Climate Foundation prepared by experts from the Ecologic Institute and Climact.

The call for general elections has left the texts in suspense, so the elections of the next day 10 will finally determine who should carry out this socio-environmental legislation.

Source: The Vanguard