Spain Grows a Green Agenda for 2023: 4 Blocks of Action to Protect Nature and Fight Climate Change

In the 2023 election cycle, a coalition of environmental organizations including Friends of the Earth, Ecologistas en Acción, Greenpeace, SEO/BirdLife and WWF presented a plan titled The World is a Program for 2023. It contains 23 lines of action and 118 proposals, with the objective that the next government prioritizes nature, tackles social challenges, and builds a prosperous, sustainable future for all.

Environmental groups warn that crossing ecological thresholds threatens a growing portion of the population. They call for urgent, energetic action that reshapes the economy and society at large.

Spain is described as highly exposed to climate change because of its geographic position and climate patterns. The country is already facing extreme events such as intense heat waves, prolonged droughts, severe wildfires and soil erosion that imperil productivity.

Below are four thematic blocks, each containing 23 actionable items, with one proposal selected in every block.

Deer in Doñana National Park. pixabay

Protecting and safeguarding nature

1. Preserve biodiversity as a fundamental requirement for Spain. In the first 100 days of governance, approve a roadmap detailing measures to align with the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework and the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030.
2. Conserve species across Spain and protect natural wealth. Develop a joint roadmap between the Ministry and autonomous communities to boost the conservation status of common species, defining concrete actions, encouraging citizen participation, and promoting environmental education in biodiversity efforts.
3. Protect, conserve, and manage 30 percent of territory by 2030. Address degradation in Doñana and Daimiel to restore water and biodiversity, and, with autonomous communities, consider the Chinijo Archipelago in Lanzarote, Mar de las Calmas, El Hierro, and the Monegros Steppes for national park status.
4. Marine protection. Provide the necessary resources to meet commitments to safeguard 30 percent of Spain’s sea surface, maintain the roadmap, and actively engage scientists and communities in identifying key marine areas.
5. Protection and effective management of forest ecosystems. Develop and approve a comprehensive State Strategy for Forest Fire Prevention, coordinating all sectoral policies and equipping it with clear targets, programs, budgets, indicators, and ongoing monitoring.
6. Restoration of Nature. Support the urgent adoption of a robust EU Nature Restoration regulation to address the twin climate and biodiversity crises.

Polluting factories near a waterway. pixabay

Tackling climate change

1. Increase ambition on climate action. In the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, and to reach net zero by 2040, not exceeding the 1.5°C warming limit.
2. Energy saving and democratization. Democratize the energy system to curb the outsized benefits of large energy firms, curb oligopolistic practices, and promote community energy models that empower citizens, ensure fair pricing, and welcome new actors and innovative, more democratic models.
3. Fair and sustainable renewables for the region and nature. Build social consensus on deploying renewables with active local participation, and establish a legal framework requiring consultation with relevant actors to minimize environmental impact while maximizing social benefits.
4. Reduce mobility and transportation emissions. Pass a law to achieve climate neutrality in transport by 2040, with interim targets for 2030 and 2035, limiting high-emission activities and prioritizing rail alternatives over short flights where feasible.

Circulatory obstruction. pixabay

More democratic and ecological economics

1. Water stewardship. Protect and manage a scarce resource by reducing irrigation intensity, prioritizing socio-environmental crops, and putting a moratorium on lowering water concessions for new irrigation while promoting modern, efficient irrigation.
2. Shift toward agroecology. Urgently craft a government strategy for a just agroecological transition toward multifunctional, rainfed, and integrated farming systems with fair prices and decent working conditions, supporting family farming and local consumption.
3. More fish for the sea and safer fishing. Allocate adequate resources to the National Plan for Reducing Accidental Catches, including sharks, rays, and chimeras, with active involvement from fisheries, experts, and civil society.
4. Urbanism aligned with climate, not speculation. Ensure cities in protected areas can meet housing needs and basic services by advancing Land and Urban Transformation regulations and other tools that limit rural-to-urban land conversion.
5. Respect for land and territory. Craft a National Plan to curb mineral resource use, informed by current and projected consumption and analyzed for socio-environmental impacts.
6. Economics and biodiversity for the public good. Support workers in transition with assistance measures, including basic income and retraining for sustainable jobs.
7. Global and ecological justice. By the end of the legislature, align tax policy with greener standards, curb evasion, and address the tax burden to promote fair taxation while ending excessive capital taxes and extraordinary earnings levies.
8. Environmental democracy and governance. Maintain a dedicated environmental vice presidency with the authority and resources to influence all policy decisions across the government.

A tractor spraying pesticides in a field. pixabay

A healthy life

1. Right to clean air. Review air quality regulations to meet WHO standards by 2030, including limits to protect health and vegetation from ozone, the pollutant impacting the most people in the country.
2. Healthy, sustainable diet access. Guarantee access to nutritious, sustainable foods rooted in agroecology, implement differentiated tax policies for organic products, and provide targeted support for vulnerable groups.
3. Reduce chemical contamination. Support the EU proposal for a Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides that aims for at least a 50 percent reduction in use and risk, guided by toxicology-based criteria for these substances.
4. More zero-waste resources. Approve the Waste Prevention Plan, ban single-use items with high environmental impact, and prohibit phthalates and bisphenol A in packaging, especially food packaging.
5. Well-being through nature. Develop health and environmental programs to address nature-related anxiety and loneliness, strengthen public health with nature-based care in primary services.

Citation: A comprehensive report detailing these proposals is available through the referenced plan in the environmental sector.