The first carbon limits come amid reproaches from government advisors: "They lack ambition"

BarcelonaThis Thursday will be a key day for Catalonia to take steps forward in mitigating the climate emergency. Five years late, the Catalan Parliament will vote on its first carbon budget, which establishes the amount of greenhouse gases that each economic sector can emit in the coming years. Government spokesperson Silvia Paneque explained in the special plenary session on this issue that in 2023 Catalonia emitted 38.36 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂) and, for the first time in more than 30 years, fell below 1990 levels. The aim is to set "clear course" until 2030. However, despite the progress this milestone may represent, the document that will reach the plenary session is far from resembling the study drafted by the Committee of Experts on Climate Change (CECC), whose members claim it violates scientific criteria.

"We still face the challenge of accelerating the rate of reduction to meet international and European targets," admitted the spokesperson in her address, who affirmed that the Government's "priority" is for the ecological transition to be "just and, above all, prosperous." "It's a shame that the document submitted to Parliament doesn't follow scientific criteria," stated Manel Balfegó, a member of the UPC's Climate Change Governance Group (GGCC). The physicist asserted that the Generalitat's document has cut pollution reduction targets, shortened the planning timeframe—it doesn't include any measures beyond 2030—and failed to consider the key role of land-use management, such as forests, agricultural areas, and wetlands, as a beneficial element for CO₂ sequestration.

In contrast, according to the Government, the scientific proposal "sets a significantly higher level of ambition for certain sectors," such as industry, energy, and transport, although the documents submitted still give them a substantially greater margin to continue polluting compared to what experts recommend. The Catalan climate change law stipulates that the Government must use the parameters set by the scientific committee as a basis, but the justification for not following the scientific criteria is not detailed in the document that will be put to a vote, according to the GGCC, the research group that has worked on the development of the carbon budgets and has provided technical assistance to the committee itself.

Specifically, the Catalan government's proposal has set a CO₂ emissions target of 161.6 Mt for the period 2026-2030, representing a 31% reduction in emissions compared to 1990 levels, not including emissions mitigated by soil and forest cover. By sector, the energy sector will be allowed to emit 17,400 tons; industry, 54,700; agriculture and livestock, 20,500; and transportation, 50,000. Waste emissions are permitted at 6,500 tons, and the residential sector at 7,800 tons. The total figure is 20.9% higher than the emissions limit set by the committee of experts, which established a target of 133.6 Mt CO₂ for this period.

"Although we are unhappy with how the proposal has materialized, we prioritize its approval. Basically, because the five-year delay in approving the carbon budget law has meant that Catalonia has continued to emit greenhouse gases without any planning, increasing the territory's vulnerability for years," explains Balfegó.

An overly ambitious proposal?

According to the IPCC, the leading authority on the global climate crisis, if every country in the world had the same objective, Catalonia would have to reduce its emissions by 36% in 2030 compared to 1990 levels to comply with the Paris Agreement, which sets the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. "They are equal, and it is clear that, for example, the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu has neither the same historical responsibility nor the same economic capacity as Catalonia," the expert emphasizes. In the summer, however, Paneque argued that the Committee was 10 years ahead of the EU's target for climate neutrality and that its plan includes climate justice compensation, which he interprets as meaning that more developed countries must make a greater effort for countries that do not spend as much. According to European directives, this concept is not taken into account. For Balfegó, "in no case is it The reduction presented by the experts, which aims for a 42% decrease in emissions by 2030, is considered "too ambitious," as it follows the benchmarks of the leading international climate crisis institution, while also taking into account Catalonia's economic capacity and historical responsibility. "We don't understand why the non-implementation of the scientific committee's proposal is being argued on economic grounds when, in fact, the failure to reduce emissions generates losses of millions of euros every year in Catalonia," the expert asserts, pointing to the link between rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and the resulting losses. The Catalan Climate Group (GGCC) also notes that the experts' proposal does not include emissions from air and maritime transport, as these are considered international, despite being largely produced within national territory. "They could not be included in the report because neither the climate change law nor the national inventories take them into account, and we know that if we could include them, the figures would be much higher." The reduction targets should be even higher. "I hope Parliament will urge the Government to include it, as in recent years," says Balfegó. The CECC was involved in drafting Catalonia's first carbon budget.

Furthermore, Balfegó concludes with what he considers a top priority: "It hasn't been an easy task, but to continue along the path of European countries in decarbonization, it is essential to safeguard the committee of experts so that it can continue advising the Government on a matter of paramount importance for the country's future."