The plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands approved this Tuesday, December 13, the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law of the archipelago, a legislative document that will lay the foundations to achieve the goal of decarbonizing the islands' economy in 2040, ten years earlier than the horizons set by Europe and Spain in this matter. "This is the most consensual law in the history of the Canary Islands with more than 384 citizen contributions in the two periods of public exposure (170 and 214) and more than 30 meetings with different groups," they point out from the Ministry. It has had the favorable vote of the parties that form the Pact of the Flowers and CC and against those of the PP and Ciudadanos.
The Minister of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Autonomous Government, José Antonio Valbuena, stressed that "island territories are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and, for that reason, we have developed a law that exceeds in ambition those of other communities and even the national one, advancing the deadlines and setting obligations for all sectors."
"This Law will mark a before and after in the environmental policies of the Canary Islands and will finally begin to put specific measures to work for the future of new generations, precisely the most aware of this environmental problem," said the regional manager.
"The Canary Islands finally leaves aside the political greenwashing and establishes criteria and obligations at all levels, starting with public administrations as an exemplary figure for the rest of the population and for companies in the archipelago," added Valbuena.
In this line, the Law establishes that in 2030 all public institutions of the islands will have to supply themselves 100% from renewable sources, completely replacing the equipment that is powered by fossil fuels. These entities must also replace internal combustion vehicles with others with zero polluting emissions within a maximum period of ten years from the entry into force of this legislative text.
Finally, among other measures for the public sphere, it is reflected that the implementation of new outdoor lighting will always be carried out under criteria of energy efficiency and neutralization of light pollution, so that in 2040 all Canary Islands lighting complies with this purpose 100%.
This Canary Islands Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition will entail a fundamental milestone that is the creation of the Carbon Footprint Registry of the archipelago, which will allow quantifying greenhouse gas emissions to monitor the objectives established in this matter.
The following will be required to register in this Registry: tourist accommodation, non-accommodation and complementary establishments; fishing and aquaculture activities; industrial and commercial activities and companies established by the Climate Action Strategy.
Precisely, in terms of emissions, the regional objective for 2040 is to reduce them by 90% compared to those of 1990 and that, at least, 10% of the remaining emissions are absorbed by sinks, achieving the aforementioned climate neutrality scenario. This means that the Canary Islands will go from emitting 13,340 ktCO2eq to 7,426 in 2030 and, finally, to 862 in 2040.
Regarding the implementation of renewable energies, the horizon set by the Law and the Energy Transition Plan of the Canary Islands for 2030 is to reach 37% of the consumption of final energy through these sustainable alternatives and 92% in 2040. The Canary Islands Agency for Climate Action, Energy and Water is also created.
For sustainable mobility, the emission reduction target is 84.2% by 2040, not exceeding 480 ktCO2eq per year. The large centers generating public and private mobility must introduce sustainable mobility plans for their users within a maximum period of five years from the approval of the Canary Islands Climate Action Strategy. Among other sectors, vehicle rental companies must have exclusively zero direct emission fleets within a maximum period of 15 years from the entry into force of this Law.
In educational matters, the Government of the Canary Islands will introduce climate action and ecological transition as a backbone in the curricular subjects taught in the classrooms. The Executive will also approve a green training plan that will have, among others, the purpose of identifying the key sectors with the greatest opportunities in these strategic sectors.
The departments of the Autonomous Executive responsible for health and social rights must develop and approve special plans to protect the population against the effects of climate change, as established by the World Health Organization in its periodic reports.
This legislative document has been promoted by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands and consists of different management instruments such as the Climate Change Strategy of the Canary Islands, the Just Transition Strategy, the Energy Transition Plan of the Canary Islands (together with its eight specific strategies) and the Climate Change Action Plan.
The final text approved by the Parliament of the Canary Islands will be published in the coming days in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands.
