SPAIN’S new coalition government has declared a ‘climate and environmental emergency’ in the country, making its first step towards fighting climate change.

The announcement was made yesterday evening (January 21) by the Cabinet of Ministers in response to calls for immediate action to safeguard the environment and to lower the impact humans have on the all-encompassing global issue. Scientific data indicates that the last decade was the warmest in the history of the planet and that 2019 was the hottest for Europe, particularly noticeable in Spain. Last year, the Earth saw its global temperature rise by 1.1ºC where in Spain the temperature rose 1.7ºC according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) in December.

In addition, 70% of the surface in Spain is at risk of desertification, the permanent degradation of land that was once arable caused by urbanisation, climate change, overdrafting of groundwater and agricultural practices that make soil more vulnerable to the wind. Much of Spain’s costal regions, the Balearic and Canary Islands are also especially vulnerable to rising sea levels, made clear during Storm Gloria which brought the worst weather conditions seen this century.