- The autonomous communities (AC) and municipalities are fundamental actors in fulfilling Spain’s climate change and energy transition commitments at the international level.
- Only through coordinated action among all administrative levels will it be possible to achieve the objectives for 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.
- This requires not only the adoption but also the effective implementation of legislative and planning instruments that establish a clear and coherent roadmap for the 17 autonomous communities, aligned with European and state ambition levels.
Madrid, December 4, 2024 – Climate change impacts are becoming increasingly intense in vulnerable areas of southern Europe, and Spain is no exception. Despite commitments made at international and national levels, such as those established in the Paris Agreement, the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), our country faces major challenges in meeting its climate goals for 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
The key to overcoming these challenges is for the Spanish State to act in a coordinated and coherent manner across its territory, as this is a shared responsibility among the three administrative levels: state, regional, and local. This was the central focus of the conference “Multilevel Climate Governance: Action by Autonomous Communities and Municipalities” organized by the International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA) within the framework of CONAMA 2024. During the event, experts and representatives emphasized that without joint and coherent planning, it will be impossible to effectively respond to the fight against climate change.
The meeting was attended by the Coordinator of the General Secretariat of Environment and Climate Change of the Andalusian Government, Elena Ortega Díaz; the General Director of Renewable Energies and Climate Change of the Galician Government, Paula María Uría Traba; the Legal Director of Ihobe, Public Environmental Management Company, Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government, José Antonio Armolea Solabarrieta; and the Head of Climate Change and Environmental Information Service of the Vice-Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Energy of the Canary Islands Government, Gustavo Pestana Pérez, among other public administration representatives.
IIDMA Director Ana Barreira explained that “autonomous communities and municipalities play a key role in fulfilling Spain’s climate and energy transition commitments at both national and international levels. Administrative decentralization gives them competencies in environment and energy, as well as in other areas related to the fight against climate change.”
Uneven Progress in Regional Climate Planning
The IIDMA report “Multilevel Governance and Climate Action in Spain: Situation in the Autonomous Communities“, one of three studies presented at the event, reveals significant inequalities in planning and ambition regarding energy and climate objectives at the regional level. While some communities, such as the Valencian Community, Canary Islands, and the Basque Country, have approved specific climate change laws, others like Castilla y León and La Rioja still lack regulatory frameworks. Moreover, Asturias and Galicia have more ambitious emission reduction targets than EU goals (55% by 2030), while the Region of Murcia and Castilla León have yet to define specific objectives.
Given this context, “the adoption and, above all, the effective implementation of legislative and planning instruments that clearly define the roadmap to follow in all 17 autonomous communities is required more than ever, which must be coherent with European and state ambition levels,” notes Nerea Goyoaga, IIDMA lawyer and one of the report’s authors. It is also necessary for autonomous communities to advance in adopting coherent regulatory frameworks, avoiding jurisdictional conflicts and contributing to common objectives.
Renewables: The Challenge of Coordinating Three Administrative Levels
One of the key aspects of the Renewable Energy Promotion Directive (RED III) is facilitating the deployment of renewables, focusing on streamlining authorization procedures and establishing acceleration zones to facilitate their development.
However, the report “The Renewable Energy Promotion Directive III and the Acceleration of Renewable Deployment in Spain”, also presented during the conference, reflects that in Spain, implementing these measures and correctly transposing RED III is not an easy task due to the distribution of competencies among the State, Autonomous Communities, and municipalities. “To facilitate the deployment of renewables and ensure effective transposition of the Renewable Energy Promotion Directive, concerted action among the three levels of administration is necessary,” comments Ana Barreira, author of the report.
Municipalities: Key Actors in Climate Action
To achieve greater territorial coherence, autonomous communities with climate change laws – such as Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Navarra, and Basque Country – urge their municipalities to adopt Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs), an essential tool for achieving the climate goals that authorities adhering to the European Covenant of Mayors for Climate must present.
The fulfillment of Spain’s climate objectives also depends on municipal commitment, yet most municipalities face difficulties in advancing their climate and energy action. Data from the report “Climate Action at Municipal Level in Spain”, the third study presented by IIDMA, shows that of 8,132 municipalities, only 3,025 have joined the Covenant of Mayors, and many have yet to update their climate commitments for 2030 and 2050.
“Lack of political will, scarcity of technical and financial resources, and the absence of training to develop, implement, and update municipal SECAPs are the main challenges Spain faces in advancing municipal climate action,” explains Yurema Delgado, IIDMA lawyer and author of the report.
Despite these difficulties, initiatives such as joint action plans developed in Navarra and Girona show that inter-municipal collaboration can be an effective solution for optimizing resources and coordinating efforts, achieving significant progress in local climate action.
