70% of the Spanish population lives in municipalities where the temperature has already risen 1.5°C

BarcelonaThe climate crisis exacerbates inequalities because it disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, who have fewer adaptation strategies. This is also evident in Spain, according to a report published by Oxfam Intermón this Wednesday on the occasion of the UN COP30 climate summit being held in Brazil. According to this research, entitled Climate inequality in Spain: An opportunity for a just transitionThe wealthiest 0.1% of the population in Spain pollutes up to 55 times more annually than someone in the poorest 50%, according to 2022 data. The study also reveals that 70% of the Spanish population lives in municipalities where the temperature has already risen 1.5°C since 2019, and that per capita household emissions are lower than the average. In total, more than 33 million people in Spain already live in areas that have exceeded this threshold (which is not the Paris Agreement threshold, as that is a global average), leading to significant changes in weather and biodiversity. The top 1% of earners consume 45 times more of their carbon budget than they would need to keep global warming within the 1.5°C limit. "The ecological transition will only be just if those who emit the most assume their responsibility. Climate action is needed that combines social justice and climate ambition," said Lourdes Benavides, head of climate justice at Oxfam Intermón. According to the Oxfam study, IBEX35 companies are responsible for 30% of direct CO₂ emissions in Spain And just five—four from the energy sector and one from air transport, Oxfam details—generate more than a quarter of the national total.

The COP30 in Brazil, taking place these days, has as one of its central themes, proposed by the Brazilian presidency, that of a just transition, which precisely focuses on these inequalities in responsibilities and on the mechanisms that can help avoid harming the most vulnerable with energy transition measures. As Oxfam indicates, people with fewer resources are the most exposed to extreme heat, energy poverty, and climate disasters. Meanwhile, the wealthy and corporations not only have more tools to combat the impacts of the climate crisis, but also continue to promote an unsustainable model that exacerbates both the environmental and social crises.

In Spain, the last five summers have broken temperature records, and the The year 2025 has been the warmest since 1961Increasingly intense heat waves have caused nearly 37,000 deaths between 2015 and 2023. In August 2025 alone, 2,177 deaths were recorded due to high temperatures, according to Oxfam Intermon. Recent data from the INE (National Institute of Statistics) indicates that more than a third of the Spanish population cannot maintain a comfortable temperature in summer due to a lack of resources or the energy inefficiency of their homes. The NGO warns that subsidies for energy-efficient renovations are largely inaccessible to low-income households, perpetuating energy poverty. Floods, as demonstrated by the DANA storm, also put millions of homes at risk in flood-prone areas, many of which are low-income households.

"Designing greener and more livable cities is fundamental to tackling climate change. But these transformations must place equity policies at their core. Adaptation cannot depend on income level, but rather on genuine political will and the work of all social actors," says Benavides. As proposals, the NGO calls for redistributing the effort in emissions reduction according to the carbon footprint and economic capacity of each social group and territory; advancing a tax reform that taxes the super-rich and those who pollute the most; and guaranteeing citizen participation and ensuring that science is heard in energy and climate decision-making.