Spain at last adopts promised law on becoming carbon neutral

<p>MADRID &mdash; Spain’s parliament approved a law on climate change and energy transition Thursday that belatedly brings the country into line with the European Union’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2050.</p>
<p>The law stipulates a 23% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, though the goal will be reviewed in 2023 when officials hope to better that target.</p>
<p>Only the far-right Vox party voted against the law, which was overwhelmingly approved after being first proposed a decade ago. The biggest opposition party, the conservative Popular Party, abstained in a reflection of the political squabbling that has held up the law.</p>
<p>The Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, acknowledged that the legislation was “10 years overdue,” as other EU countries have already adopted broad legislation to fight climate change.</p>
<p>“This is a law our country needs and which has been postponed for too long,” Ribera told lawmakers. “There are threats and risks which don’t respect political colors.”</p>
<p>Ribera noted that measures taken in recent years are already helping Spain move toward carbon neutrality, including last year’s decision to retire coal-fired power plants by 2025.</p>
<p>Spain plans to phase out combustion engine vehicles by limiting new car sales to electric vehicles by 2040. Fossil fuel mining is to be banned, too.</p>
<p>The law passed Thursday requires cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to introduce low carbon emission zones.</p>
<p>The government hopes its climate policies will create 250,000 jobs a year through 2030.</p>
<p>Last month, the EU reached a tentative climate deal to put the 27-nation bloc on a path to being climate neutral by 2050.</p>
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