By Paul Davies and Rosa Espin
Spain is leading the fight against climate change with a proposed new Climate Change and Energy Transition Law.
The Spanish government regards climate change as one of the greatest challenges facing the country. Since 22 April 2016, the Paris Agreement (which sets out a global action plan to avoid climate change by limiting global warning to well below 2ºC), has been open for signature. Spain formally ratified the Paris Agreement in early 2017 and must now seek to implement measures to achieve the ambitious targets that it faces.
As an important consequence of these targets, in December last year the Spanish Climate Change Commission passed a proposal which urged the Government to develop a draft law on Climate Change and Energy Transition. This draft law will enable Spain to achieve its climate change and energy goals and promote competitiveness in the country. This proposed law is expected to regulate existing and future climate related measures, taking into account the climate change targets for the years 2030 and 2050.