Spain is facing its worst drought on record. The government has provided over two billion euros.
This article is available to IPPEN.MEDIA as part of a cooperation with the Climate.Table Professional Briefing before – Climate.Table had first published it on May 25, 2023.
Madrid/Berlin – Spain is battling a devastating drought. According to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), April 2023 was both the hottest April and the lowest rainfall in Spain since records began in 1961. “In the first four months of the year, only 112 liters per square meter fell, 250 liters would be normal. So it rained less than half the normal amount,” Rubén del Campo, spokesman for the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET), told Table.Media.
Water reservoir in April: 39 instead of 69 percent filled
The water reservoirs for human consumption and agriculture are only 39 percent full. The average for the last ten years was 69 percent. The reason is not only the current drought, but also a dry year in 2022. The water reserves in the reservoirs used for power generation have also shrunk. They are only filled to 66.6 percent of their capacity, which is also well below the average values of the last ten years (78.1 percent).
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In response, Pedro Sánchez’s government approved a €2.19 billion aid package on May 11. The announcement of these aid payments came during the May 28 regional election campaign. They are designed to absorb the worst effects of the drought. But the opposition and one of Sánchez’s coalition partners sensed an election campaign maneuver. The conservative Partido Popular (PP), for example, criticized the package of measures as “electoral noise” and “five years” too late (the opposition emerged from the elections with a clear victory, editor’s note).
Spain’s government puts together an aid package worth 2.2 billion
The Sánchez government’s aid package includes the following measures:
- EUR 636 million in direct aid for agriculture and livestock is intended to offset the EUR 300 million lost in the agricultural sector due to the drought.
- 1.4 billion euros are earmarked for improving water infrastructure and use. New desalination plants are to be built and municipal water used more frequently. Water charges for farms affected by irrigation restrictions are also to be reduced. These funds are provided by the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
- According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, 26.9 percent of the territory is in a tense situation due to water shortages: 14 percent of Spain is in an emergency situation, 12.9 percent is on alert. The regions of Catalonia, southern Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha as well as the Guadalquivir basin in Andalusia are particularly affected.
Spain has also enacted a ban on certain outdoor occupations when the state meteorological agency issues a heat warning.
Particularly threatened by climate change: Spain’s cities
Spain is particularly hard hit by climate change. The Mediterranean is warming 20 percent faster than the global average. With current developments, the temperature on the Iberian Peninsula is expected to increase by an average of 2.2 degrees by 2040. And in major cities, the effects would be exacerbated by the phenomenon known as “heat island,” says AEMET spokesman del Campo. “As a result, temperatures in metropolitan areas are higher than in nearby rural areas,” del Campo explains. The reason: asphalt in the streets prevents cooling through evaporation, building materials such as concrete radiate heat at night.
“As a result of the warming of the Mediterranean Sea in recent decades, the very hot summer nights on the Mediterranean coasts have also increased significantly. On the other hand, the area of dry areas in Spain is increasing, especially near areas that were previously dry. This is particularly noticeable in the Murcia region, in Castilla-La Mancha, in Extremadura and in the Ebro valley,” del Campo continues.
Climate plan: 30 percent reduction in emissions
The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), presented by Pedro Sánchez’s government in 2021, aims for a 23 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The biennial review of the PNIEC, which aims to tighten this goal, is currently under way. According to a Reuters report, the target is to be increased by seven percentage points to a 30 percent reduction. The draft will be sent to the in June EUCommission and is due for approval in June 2024, a spokesman for the Ministry of Ecological Transition told Table.Media.
The previous PNIEC stipulates that by 2030, 42 percent of all energy in Spain will come from renewable sources. 74 percent of the power generation should then be renewable. “Despite the drought, renewables accounted for 22 percent of energy and 42 percent of electricity in 2022. It is expected that by 2023, more than 50 percent of electricity needs will be met by renewable energy,” according to the Ministry of Green Transition.
4th place in the European climate ranking
In the independent Climate Scorecard Country Ratings 2021, which evaluates climate policy planning of different countries, Spain ranks fourth among EU countries behind Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The criteria relate to whether the country has committed to reducing emissions by 50 percent by 2023 or at the latest by 2030 and whether it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In terms of per capita emissions (2021 values), Spain is 4.9 tons, well below the German value (8.1 tons) and also below the EU average of 6.1 tons.
The rating gives Spain a positive rating mainly because of its strength in solar and wind energy. Spain also wants to reduce its vehicle emissions by 39 percent by 2030. The previous PNIEC aims to introduce five million electric vehicles (including motorcycles, vans and buses) by 2030. (By Isabel Cuesta Camacho)
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