Europe Tower, Madrid
Last Monday, March 1, the European Convention of Mayors of the C40, the network of cities committed to the fight against climate change chaired by the mayor of Los Angeles and in which the mayor of Madrid participated.
During the Convention, José Luis Martínez-Almeida revealed the objective of the first 'Roadmap towards climate neutrality in the city of Madrid': reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by up to 65% in 2030 compared to 1990.
The document reflects that the residential sector is the one that contributes the most to the emission of greenhouse gases, followed by the service sector and road traffic.
The most relevant actions for the reduction of carbon dioxide are: the progressive electrification and improvement of efficiency in the emitting sectors through the renewal of equipment and the transition towards renewable sources in the production of electrical energy.
Madrid has already implemented measures to put an end to the most polluting boilers: an ordinance to ban coal and aid to renew them for efficient systems.
MADRID, AT THE FOREFRONT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
In the framework of Madrid 360 Sustainability Strategy , the City Council has developed an action plan that includes it in the group of cities in Europe with the greatest ambition to advance in the fight against climate change, since the capital's Roadmap places its CO2 reduction target ten points above that established in the Green Deal (Green Deal) of December 11, 2019, endorsed in 2020 by the European Council.
Based on the city's emissions inventory, 30 years ago 13 million tons of CO2 were registered, so in 2030 they should be reduced to 4.5 million tons.
According to the new municipal action plan, in 2050 around 1.4 million tons of CO2 would remain, that would be compensated with complementary measures such as absorption through forest plantations.
BIG CITIES SHOULD SET AN EXAMPLE
The main conclusions projected by the Roadmap focus on the importance of the decarbonisation of the electricity system and the commitment to a more efficient urban model to progressively minimize the consumption of fossil fuels, most relevant axes of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In this sense, José Luis Martínez-Almeida underlined the importance of the main cities putting all their efforts into implementing effective, global and ambitious environmental policies that serve as a guide to the world and that accelerate the decarbonization process until achieving the common goal of climate neutrality in the year 2050.
“Big cities are key to mitigating the climate crisis because we are responsible for much of the greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere. We constitute nuclei of high energy intensity, the main focus of this type of emissions”, Almeida pointed out.
“Madrid has made great strides in the fight against climate change, but the trends show the need to increase the rates of reduction to improve the quality of life of our citizens, develop a low-carbon economy and have greater security and resilience against climate risks”, said the Mayor of Madrid.
MADRID 360 LEADS THE WAY
The first Roadmap of the Spanish capital for decarbonisation is developed under the umbrella of the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the most complete tool that the capital has had, with Nearly 200 actions that contribute to globally combat nitrogen oxides (NOx) –gases that lead to infringement of the European directive on air quality since 2010– and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Its measures are aimed at promoting sustainable mobility and reduce pollutants from any type of emission source.
Many of his plans are already underway, such as supports Change 360 that were approved last year and that will be maintained for the next seven years.
Among the objectives of this line of subsidies is the promotion of efficient air conditioning systems. To achieve this, the City Council has committed an annual credit of more than 13 million euros for individuals and the service sector, including SMEs, which will be increased to 15 for each of the years 2022 and 2023.
Within Madrid 360, this Roadmap constitutes an analysis of a technical nature to support the political commitment to action against climate change in Madrid (European Green Pact or Green Deal, Paris Agreement of the COP21 and Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy).
This document determines which are the sectors that generate the most CO2 and a series of transformation levers to lessen its effects on the atmosphere.
THREE KEY SECTORS TO MITIGATE EMISSIONS
The decrease in emissions depends on three key sectors, being the residential sector is the one that should contribute with the greatest volume of reductions (2.9 million tons of CO2 equivalent), followed by the service sector (2.7) and the transport sector (2.4).
It is in these three sectors where administrations must intensify action, although without stopping acting in other areas such as waste management.
In both the residential and services sectors, the reduction of emissions associated with the electricity mix is particularly relevant, that is, to the sources of electricity generation that we use in our network.
For the objectives of the Roadmap it is essential that renewable sources have an increasing weight in this mix because their associated greenhouse gas emissions are minimal.
In 2020, the contribution of renewable energies to electricity generation was 43.6% and The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan establishes the objective of reaching 74% in 2030, one of the starting hypotheses of the Madrid Roadmap.
TOWARDS MORE EFFICIENT AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS
In second order, the renewal of thermal equipment by heat pump systems or gas condensing boilers with a growing contribution from renewable sources such as biomethane produced in the Valdemingómez municipal waste treatment plant It would also make it possible to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
To fulfill this purpose, the Madrid City Council will approve a strategic instrument in March: the new Ordinance on Air Quality and Sustainability, whose content seeks to reduce energy consumption and replace the most polluting sources by others more innocuous as is the case of coal boilers, whose operation is prohibited from January 1, 2022.
The Roadmap also points out other energy efficiency actions that would also contribute to the global purpose against climate change, such as the change of electrical appliances, lighting or the rehabilitation of buildings (windows, facades, roofs, etc.).
The municipal guide establishes the need for that there is a transfer of the private vehicle to other means of transport and the renewal of fleets towards less polluting technologies to reduce emissions from the transport sector.
Madrid 360 has already taken important steps in this direction, such as the creation of the Zero Lines (free and zero emissions); the historic expansion of BiciMAD; the construction of 45 kilometers of bus lanes; the future execution of new bike lanes as backbones of the city or the powerful aid plan for the renewal of all types of fleets.
The Roadmap provides an initial analysis and guidance that will be developed by the Madrid City Council through appropriate municipal coordination tools for the different projects and the integration of the climatic variable in policies and regulations.
The collaboration with other local agents, regional and national administrations and research and innovation centers is also essential to achieve the objectives pursued.
Finally, it is necessary to highlight the importance of international urban networks and initiatives responsible for supporting and making visible the leading role of cities in the global challenge of climate change.