Barcelona Provincial Council, for the climate emergency
The planet has finite natural resources and, in a context of a climate emergency, it is necessary to bet firmly on sustainability, waste minimization, the development of renewable energies, self-consumption and sustainable water management. In recent years, the situation has worsened due to a model based on the consumption of fossil fuels that has led to a energy crisis without precedents.
The direct consequence has been the rise in the price of energy, which has fully affected the economy of city councils and citizens. Right now, there is only one possible path: the need to reduce energy consumption.
The Barcelona Provincial Council and the municipalities of the province work for the climate emergency and articulate various adaptation strategies and energy transition.
Promote energy transition policies
With the objective of reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption, the Provincial Council collaborates with the town councils in educational centers, in adult and special education schools, in art and music conservatories, in youth centers and civic centers, in youth information points and in municipal sports facilities .
also develops sustainable mobility policiesencourages the use of public transport and has electric or hybrid cars and bicycles in municipal fleets.
Firm step towards renewables
Once the facilities have reduced their energy consumption, the next step is to supply them with energy through renewables. And it does so by supporting municipalities for the installation of photovoltaic panels and biomass plants, and also by improving public lighting. These are actions with a high climate impact and priority is given to those that contribute to a greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
This policy has a tangible concretion in the project Renewables 2030, which up to now has invested 70 million euros in the municipalities of the province, with more than 120 highly relevant projects.
Adapted to new circumstances
On the other hand, the Provincial Council develops policies to adapt to the new climate situation. Climate refuges are created —spaces to deal with heat waves—; commitment to the renaturation of cities, with more green and shade in the streets; Action protocols are updated against the increase in increasingly intense weather episodes and fire prevention tasks are reinforced.
become aware
One of the most relevant data is that, if good practices are applied, up to 15% of energy can be saved in the management of buildings. That is why the Barcelona Provincial Council offers economic and technical support to municipalities of the province that are committed to saving energy in their equipment and to involve their workers and citizens. The objective is to improve the energy efficiency of the equipment and allocate the savings achieved to homes with energy poverty.
Much of this management can be carried out thanks to the environmental education and awareness campaigns that have the support of the Diputación de Barcelona.
The Corporation has also launched the Weather Planan internal project that allows the same energy efficiency measures to be applied in its buildings and in its vehicle fleet, on local roads and in the network of natural spaces, and that aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, twenty years before the milestones marked by the European Union.
Barcelona Provincial Council works to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and deploys its support action to the local governments of the province in accordance with these SDGs, which were proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 25, 2015 and form part of the global Agenda for 2030.