José Luis Ábalos, committed to the Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy to combat climate change

In his speech, he noted that the climate emergency is an affair of State and explained that the Government of Spain is already working on a Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy.

José Luis Ábalos also said that the government has carried out a precise analysis of the situation and a plan to combat the climate emergency based on mobility and transport. By hosting the COP25, he explained, Spain wants to take the lead in reducing emissions and the fight against pollution in Europe, without forgetting that the ecological transition must be just but not slow.

With respect to transport and urban planning, the acting minister stressed that the policies of the Ministry of Public Works are crucial for Spain and Europe to comply with the commitments on reducing polluting emissions and to deal effectively with the climate emergency, given that the transport sector represents more than 40% of final energy consumption in Spain, and is also responsible for 27% of direct greenhouse gas emissions. Building construction accounts for 30% of consumption and 9% of gas emissions.

José Luis Ábalos outlined the different actions carried out by the Ministry of Public Works, such as the boost to railways, the increase in sources of renewable energies, and the efforts to mitigate the carbon footprint in transport, and the drive for an urban planning system that minimises urban mobility needs and fosters the energy refurbishment of homes.

Big Data and Sustainable Mobility

José Luis Ábalos stressed the importance of Big Data in achieving Sustainable Mobility and explained the decision of the Ministry of Public Works to redirect mobility policies in Spain so that with the support of digital technology and in particular information on the transport habits offered by mobiles phones, these policies can become an essential lever for ecological transition to a new more effective mobility that is cheaper and less pollutant.

In light of this, he announced that on Friday the data on a study on the inter-provincial mobility of travellers, applying technological big data will be published. It will be freely available for consultation and download, and represents a source of information that is extremely valuable for public authorities and companies.

Finally, José Luis Ábalos announced that the Ministry of Public Works is already working on a Secure, Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy that is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the 2015 Paris Agreement and the targets set by the European Union. It will integrate and give a strategic sense to all mobility and transport policies in Spain, serving as a guide to all public authorities and also to companies.

Non official translation