Pedro Sánchez underlines that climate emergency is greatest long-term challenge facing our civilisation

71 Heads of State and Government took part in this Summit, whose countries comply with the requirements to attend, on implementing ambitious and specific plans and actions on climate. Pedro Sánchez presented the Government of Spain's Long-term Strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, a measure approved on 3 November 2020.

In his speech, the President of the Government highlighted that "the climate emergency is the greatest challenge facing our civilisation. We must thus appreciate that climate action is not only a potential investment for our economies, which indeed it is, but also an obligation for the safety of our citizens, while also guaranteeing the future of the generations to come". The measures taken by the Government of Spain, with a perspective for equity and social justice, pay special attention to vulnerable groups and sectors, and to the inhabitants of areas in demographic decline.

Spain is an ambitious country in the fight against climate change. In 2020, our country has presented a Draft Climate Change and Energy Transition Act, the National Adaptation to Climate Change Plan and in January signed up to the Climate and Environmental Emergency Declaration. This declaration is in line with the decision taken by the European Council on Friday to increase the emissions reduction from 40% to 55% by the year 2030, to then achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In October this year, Spain, together with another 10 Member States, committed to achieving this target.

The government forecasts that by 2030, there will be 5 million electric vehicles in Spain and that 25% of industrial energy consumption will come from green hydrogen by the year 2050. Our measures seek to reduce energy consumption by 50%, to become more efficient and for 97% to come from renewable surces. Pedro Sánchez highlighted that these transformations "require difficult decisions" to be taken, especially by sectors such as thermal and nuclear power stations and coal mining. For this reason, the Just Transition Strategy was approved, "to guarantee that no-one is left behind".

"This strategy is a collective commitment to a different world in which our homes, our public buildings, our cars and our means of transport, offices and factories are designed to contribute to the ultimate goal of climate neutrality, and, in short, to save our planet. That is what we are working towards", concluded the President of the Government.

Non official translation