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  • Recipe for Spain: How to start decarbonising Spanish transport

    This summer, the European Commission will present new targets for member states’ Effort Sharing Decision sectors for the period 2021 to 2030 and publish a communication on decarbonising transport. The ESD sets an overall EU climate target of -30% by 2030 below 2005 levels for sectors not included under the EU emissions trading system (non-ETS emissions) – mainly surface transport, buildings and agriculture. The ESD requires member states to limit their GHG emissions by meeting individual binding annual limits. This ‘recipe for Spain’ serves as a guideline on how to reduce emissions from transport and secure the climate target.

    Spain’s anticipated 2030 reduction target for all sectors covered by the ESD will be -28%. Thus, Spain will have to decrease its transport emissions to 64 MtCO2 eq by 2030. Based on the assumptions of our reference scenario, Spain will exceed its carbon budget in the transport sector by 31 MtCO2 eq if it does not undertake further policy action.

    This ‘recipe for Spain’ serves as a guideline on how to reduce emissions from transport and secure the climate target. It analyses policy measures at EU and member state levels and quantifies their contribution to decreasing GHG emissions in the transport sector. It shows that European-wide, ambitious CO2 standards for cars, vans and heavy-duty vehicles will be key policy in the Spanish strategy to decarbonise transport – covering 34% of the Spanish effort from transport. National policy instruments will be essential to supplement EU policy and to encourage a shift of passengers and freight to cleaner transport modes as well as to internalise costs more comprehensively.