Spain is working on a new energy and environmental roadmap for this decade. current government shipped last week A new version to the European Commission National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC)has much more ambitious green goals than the current plan. This is a draft that should be finalized within the next year and will be agreed with Brussels by the Executive, whose final outcome comes out of 23J, but it already points to the way to speed up the process. decarbonization In accordance with EU requirements.
The new strategy includes: sharp increase in reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions It is 32% at the end of the decade, compared to 23% set in the plan’s version three years ago. Keys to achieving new environmental goals include cutting fossil fuels and increasing electrification of many sectors, hand in hand with many more renewable energies, while at the same time raising the goal of energy efficiency and savings by reducing final energy consumption by 44 percent. % ticked compared to 41.7% so far.
The goal is to hit your weight renewable energy Up to 81% of all electricity produced in 2030 (compared to the current PNIEC estimate of 74% approved three years ago) and up to 48% of all energy used by the Spanish economy (compared to 42% so far) now marked). HE grand plan The government of Pedro Sánchez expects a huge economic impact. 294,000 million planned investments, With 522,000 new jobs in 2030, with an additional 2.5 points of GDP by the end of the decade. But this will also have less visible repercussions, but have a direct impact on the lives of citizens.
5,900 fewer premature deaths
And the new green roadmap is also a sign. direct health benefits. According to the latest research from Global Burden Disease, deaths from air pollution reached 11,952 in 2019. new green plan will cut these premature deaths in half With an average of 6,067 expected premature deaths in 2030, according to Executive’s forecasts.
Policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have positive effects on public health by reducing air pollutant emissions, which are often associated with the same emission sources and same production processes.
Emission of air pollutants, especially fine particles (PM2.5), directly linked as a cause of premature deaths, causes problems in the respiratory systems (including lung cancer), cardiovascular or brain (such as ischemic attacks).
Reduce the emission of pollutants
Air pollution is the leading cause of death, as confirmed by an investigation. Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Center supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation. The study, with data from 857 European cities, estimates that the sources most contributing to deaths associated with the two air pollutants are fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
Precisely in the National Energy and Climate Plan designed by the Government of Spain, the measures of the new green strategy Reducing fine particulate emissions by 44% and nitrous oxide emissions by 54% by 2030and sulfur dioxide (SO2) at 58% from the levels recorded in Spain in 2019.
“We are generating more evidence every day so that eventually there is pressure to make more changes at the political level. Beyond individual actions, these are structural changes,” he states. Tamara Iungman ISGlobal Air Pollution, Urban Planning, Environment and Health researcher in an interview with EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA. “We’re talking about exposures that will create irritability throughout the respiratory system; or those associated with decreased lung function, asthma, cardiorespiratory diseases, hypertension. There are even studies that link this exposure to: sanity and of course premature death. The effects are many,” he concludes.
Results of the ISGlobal study published last June in the journal Lancet Public Healthshow that it is the most contributing source of death associated with fine particles emissions from homeswith the average contribution of all cities surveyed 22.7% follow him HE agriculture sectoraverage 18% PM2.5 mortality rate, industry (13.8%), HE transportation (13.5%), HE energy sector (10%), natural resources (8.8%) and maritime transport (5.5%)
WHO recommendations
A previous ISGlobal study had already estimated the mortality rate attributable to non-compliance with the World Health Organization’s recommendations. World Health Organization (WHO) about air pollution. An assessment that concludes that European cities could prevent an additional 114,000 premature deaths each year if they follow the new air quality recommendations presented by WHO in September 2021 compared to previous guidelines.
Estimates were an update of a study (first published in January 2021) YouLancet Planetary Health), European cities could prevent up to 51,000 premature deaths each year To comply with the then-current guidelines of the world organization published in 2005.
“Although there is no safe exposure threshold at which air pollution becomes harmless, these new results show how. WHO’s new global recommendations on air quality they offer a much better framework for protecting human health and preventing large numbers of deaths,” he said.