All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies
An official website of the European Union | How do you know?
Environmental information systems
The Spain country profile provides a concise overview of key trends across three dimensions: environment and climate; socio-economic change; and system change (energy, mobility and food) in the country. It highlights the main developments and challenges in these areas, including measures to support progress towards sustainability in Spain. An assessment for each of the three dimensions was prepared by national experts from the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) in Spain, based on 20 established indicators from the EEA or Eurostat.
In recent years, Spain has pursued an ambitious green transition agenda that is driving the modernisation of its economy, the creation of sustainable jobs, increased competitiveness and reduced reliance on external energy sources. This transition presents a valuable opportunity to revitalise rural areas, improve both human and environmental health, and promote social justice and resilience.
Spain is particularly well positioned to lead this transformation, thanks to its abundant renewable resources and strong human, technological and industrial capacities. While some measures have already contributed to reducing energy intensity, further action is needed to meet long-term sustainability goals. By prioritising both energy efficiency and the expansion of renewable energy, Spain is poised to take a leadership role in the EU’s green transition and to contribute meaningfully to global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Additionally, progress has been made in adapting to climate change through policies that seek to avoid or reduce present and future damage and to build a more resilient economy and society.
At the same time, Spain is developing policies to support a shift towards a circular economy – a model aimed at minimising the negative impacts of waste generation and management on human health and the environment. This approach also seeks to retain the value of products, materials and resources in the economy for as long as possible, thereby reducing the pressure on natural resources and limiting environmental impact.
In addition, Spain is actively working to protect and restore its natural ecosystems and biodiversity, and to lower its overall levels of pollution. However, despite the progress made, much work remains to be done in order to fully achieve these goals.
Key trends and assessments
Loading
Summary assessment
Spain has made notable progress in various environmental and climate indicators. Organic agriculture stands out, having grown in terms of both surface area and crop diversity. In 2023, organic agriculture accounted for 12.51% of the utilised agricultural area, with crops such as olives, grapes and nuts. However, a further increase is required to achieve Spain’s sustainability objectives. In terms of protected areas, Spain has 1 842 natural areas and 1 861 sites in the Natura 2000 network, covering 27.39% of the land territory in December 2023 – making Spain a key player in the protection of habitats and species in Europe.
The LULUCF sector has shown patterns of removals and emissions over decades, contributing 16.1% of the country’s total gross emissions in 2022. In terms of economic losses from extreme weather events, Spain has suffered impacts in excess of EUR 95 billion since 1980, underlining the need for urgent adaptive strategies.
In the energy field, Spain has reduced its dependence on coal and oil thanks to the sustained growth of renewable energies, especially photovoltaic and wind power, surpassing the contributions from nuclear energy since 2012. Despite the significant reduction in energy consumption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the recovery in 2022 was limited and is still below pre-pandemic levels, indicating challenges for meeting the 2030 consumption reduction targets.
Waste generation has shown fluctuating trends, influenced by economic crises and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, strategies such as Circular Spain 2030 have laid the foundations for the transition towards a sustainable economy, aiming to reduce waste generation by 15% compared with 2010.
Finally, health impacts from air pollution have decreased considerably, with a notable reduction in premature deaths from PM2.5 thanks to policies such as the 2022–2026 strategic plan for health and environment, the implementation of low-emission zones and predictive tools such as the national air quality index. These actions are aligned with the objectives of the Climate Change and Energy Transition Act, which seeks to improve quality of life and mitigate environmental impacts. Spain is also aware of the importance of environmental noise and its repercussions on health. Spain is working on the development of a strategic vision for this environmental problem, which could guide policies to be developed in the near future to reduce it, in line with the objectives set by the zero pollution action plan for noise.
In recent years, Spain, within the framework of the European Union, has been tackling an intense ecological transition agenda that is already proving to be a lever for modernisation and economic growth, the development of industrial ecosystems, the creation of sustainable employment, the strengthening of competitiveness and the reduction of external energy dependence. This transition is an opportunity for the development of territorial cohesion, the improvement of human health and the environment, and the enactment of social justice. As data from recent years show, Spain is particularly well positioned in terms of renewable resources, and human, technological and industrial capacities, to successfully tackle this transformation. The increase in value added and employment in the environmental goods and services sector indicates that Spain is consolidating its green economy. This sector ranges from renewable energies (where Spain has a leading role in solar and wind energy, occupying world leadership positions) to waste management, environmental consultancy and ecotourism. According to the latest Ember report, Spain is the European country that has saved the most on the purchase of fossil fuels for electricity generation. Without the increase in wind and solar capacity over the past five years, Spain would have spent EUR 14 billion on fossil fuels for electricity generation, the highest figure in the EU.
The fact that the fossil fuel consumption footprint in Spain is lower than the EU average, and the general downward trend in consumption, could indicate more sustainable patterns for the future. Although this may have been brought about by structural factors (e.g. lower purchasing power or changes in the production structure), it is in line with growing environmental awareness and national policies oriented towards resource efficiency and the circular economy (the Spanish circular economy strategy and the national integrated energy and climate plan envisage changes in this direction). However, better results are needed in some areas, as can be seen in the circular material use rate indicator shown in this report.
The Spanish economy must be transformed to contribute to the fight against climate change and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. However, to date, Spain has not succeeded in decoupling the growth of the economy from GHG emissions in absolute terms, which is a burden on the competitiveness of our economy.
The last few years have been marked by intense regulatory activity focused on urgently cushioning price increases for all consumers, protecting the most vulnerable and ensuring the security of supply. Measures have been taken with the aim of reducing the effects of rising energy bills on businesses and household consumers, with a particular focus on the vulnerable. The scope of measures to protect vulnerable consumers has been broadened through the creation of a ‘minimum vital supply’ that guarantees minimum conditions of comfort for beneficiaries of the social voucher, and, with the reinforcement of this programme, extending the income thresholds for households qualifying as vulnerable consumers, reducing the maximum period for resolving applications, automatically renewing the voucher and reinforcing the guarantees. Structural measures have been implemented to accelerate the deployment of renewables and reinforce the security of supply.
Spain has also approved the just transition strategy, which aims to build on the internationally approved framework and accompany the ecological transition in Spain, and thus achieve the best results in terms of employment generation, social and territorial justice and cohesion in our country.
Loading
The food system
New policies and regulations in Spain’s agro-food sector are supported by funding from the EU’s 2023–2027 common agricultural policy strategic plan (CSP) and the NextGenerationEU recovery funds.
Among other objectives, the CSP aims to mitigate negative environmental impacts, promote a transformation of the sector and attain ambitious sustainability objectives. The plan includes Spain’s commitment to the objectives of the European Green Deal, with strengthened conditionality requirements for direct payments, including a new national goal to achieve good agricultural and environmental condition by the sustainable nutrition of agricultural soils, aiming to fight water pollution and ammonia emissions. It allocates 23% of the CSP budget to agricultural or livestock practices that are beneficial for the climate and the environment, through the eco-schemes, in the form of agroecological and carbon farming and soil carbon sequestration practices. In woody crops, the use of vegetation cover has increased by at least 107% compared with 2012 (a 95% increase compared with 2020) to 2 340 332 ha; regarding direct sowing, the surface area has increased by at least 868 290 ha, a 163% increase compared with 2012 (50% increase compared with 2020). In 2022, carbon absorption in the LULUCF sector has increased by 2% compared with 2020. While the greatest amounts are absorbed in forest land, absorptions in agricultural land showed one of the largest increases (+ 22%) since 2020. Other sectoral interventions contained in the plan for fruit, vegetables, wine and beekeeping prioritise environmentally friendly production and the protection of biodiversity.
A relative decoupling of production from emissions has been achieved since 2013. Spain has developed several regulatory initiatives to control and reduce farm emissions from livestock and to ensure the sustainable nutrition of agricultural soils. Moreover, a computerised system named Ecogan has been implemented to monitor farm emissions yearly.
Food production in Spain depends largely on irrigation, which accounts for about 23% of the cultivated area but generates two thirds (65%) of the value of plant production. Spain’s irrigation policies are focused on sustainability – saving water. Between 2000 and 2018, water consumption decreased by 1 403 hm3. Additional public investments from the national recovery and resilience plan of over EUR 2.4 billion to further modernise irrigation are planned for the coming years, subject to environmental standards, using new technologies to generate water and energy savings. This new plan will be implemented in 2026. EUR 1.3 billion out of the global budget is supplied by the NextGenerationEU recovery fund, and is to be put towards saving 10% of the current average of water consumption by farmers.
Spain is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and has the highest agricultural biodiversity in Europe. Spain has the highest percentage of agricultural land in the Natura 2000 network, 17% compared with 11% in the EU-27.
Organic agriculture in Spain has grown and diversified significantly, and grew at an average yearly rate of 5% between 2010 and 2023. The agricultural area dedicated to organic crops neared 3 million ha in 2023; Spain is sixth in the world and second in Europe for organic farming area.
In the area of food consumption, there has been a favourable trend towards more sustainable foods and greater awareness of avoiding food waste. From 2019 to 2023, the quantity (volume) of food purchased fell, though the value (euro spent) increased. The Mediterranean diet, healthy cooking habits and healthy consumption habits have remained consistent. Spain has recently developed Law 1/2025 on the prevention of food loss and waste. This regulation is focused on raising awareness and preventing losses throughout the food chain, from harvesting to final consumption in homes or catering establishments.
The energy system
Regarding social and behavioural changes with an impact on the Spanish energy system, it is important to highlight the development of prosumerism and energy communities, which have empowered consumers by decentralising energy generation, reducing losses and accelerating renewable energy integration. In the building sector, the shift from conventional boilers to heat pumps and the ongoing renovation efforts are driving down energy consumption. Additionally, technologies like smart meters and energy performance certificates are significantly improving energy efficiency.
In transportation, the growing use of electric vehicles (EVs), the implementation of low-emission zones and the expansion of teleworking have decreased energy intensity in this sector. However, additional efforts are necessary to fully align transportation with sustainability targets. The updated 2023–2030 NECP prioritises social equity and aims to address energy poverty, ensuring the fair distribution of the benefits of the energy transition.
There are some emerging technological changes that have an impact on the energy system.
- The expansion of renewable energy and energy storage: Spain aims to install 76 GW of photovoltaic capacity (including 19 GW for self-consumption) and 62 GW of wind capacity (3 GW offshore) by 2030. The energy system will also integrate 22.5 GW of energy storage and 12 GW of green hydrogen production capacity.
- Digitalisation and grid modernisation: the electricity grid will undergo significant upgrades, incorporating advanced digital technologies to enhance system flexibility and support distributed generation. These upgrades will also expand access to EV charging points.
- Domestic energy production: by increasing domestic energy production to 50% over total demand, Spain aims to reduce its dependency on fossil fuel imports and save over EUR 86.75 billion during this period.
- Energy efficiency in buildings: the updated 2023–2030 NECP includes renovating 1.38 million homes by 2030, exceeding the previous target of 1.2 million.
- Electrification and mobility: a target of 5.5 million EVs is set for 2030, alongside the deployment of extensive charging infrastructure. This initiative is integral to reducing emissions in the transport sector and aligns with broader EU decarbonisation strategies.
Spain’s recent political and legislative changes have reinforced its commitment to achieving ambitious climate and energy targets, aligning with the EU’s broader decarbonisation framework.
Targets within the updated 2023–2030 NECP include the following.
- The updated NECP increases Spain’s ambition in reducing GHG emissions by 32% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, up from the original 23%.
- The updated NECP also increases Spain’s renewable energy target to 48% of final energy consumption by 2030, with an ambitious goal of 81% of electricity from renewable sources.
In line with these goals, the Spanish government has strengthened its efforts in energy efficiency, particularly in the building sector. This effort will contribute to the broader goal of improving energy efficiency by 43% by 2030, as outlined in the updated NECP.
Electrification of the economy will rise to 35% by 2030, driven by industrial electrification, green hydrogen production and digital transformation demands.
Another important legislative change is Spain’s alignment with the EU’s commitment to electrify the transport sector. The updated NECP sets a target of 5.5 million EVs by 2030, which will be supported by an extensive network of charging points.
Facing energy dependence, which remains a significant issue due to the country’s reliance on fossil fuel imports, the updated NECP aims to address this by significantly increasing domestic renewable energy production. By 2030, Spain aims to generate 50% of its energy from domestic sources, up from 27% in 2019, reducing its vulnerability to energy price fluctuations and geopolitical tensions.
In addition to these advancements, energy tariffs are a focal point of Spain’s energy policy reforms. Spain is implementing progressive tariff structures to encourage energy efficiency and ensure fairer pricing for consumers.
These legislative and policy changes underscore Spain’s ambitious approach to tackling climate change while ensuring a just and inclusive energy transition. By focusing on both energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment, Spain is poised to become a leader in the EU’s green transition, contributing to broader global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The mobility system
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has brought about certain changes that have had a direct impact on the mobility system. Teleworking has been firmly established, reducing the number of daily commutes, and various public policies have managed to return the use of public transport to its pre-pandemic level, or even higher, after the impact of the lockdown. In 2022, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda launched a series of extraordinary support measures for public transport as part of the measures that were put in place due to the price increase resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These measures were maintained in 2023 with some variations. These measures have ensured that 82% of journeys by state-owned transport are made with free or discounted travel cards or multi-journey tickets. This has been a success in terms of increasing demand for public transport and attracting private vehicle users. On the one hand, there has been an increase in public transport journeys using these discounts and, on the other, fuel consumption (petrol and diesel) remained slightly below 2019 levels.
Law 7/2021, of 20 May, on climate change and the energy transition, establishes that all municipalities with more than 50 000 inhabitants and island territories and municipalities with more than 20 000 inhabitants that exceed the limit values for certain pollutants must establish low-emission zones in which the access, circulation and parking of vehicles are restricted according to their polluting potential.
Public policies are driving the penetration of new technologies in the fleet, with a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles. These policies effect change both by restricting access to conventional vehicles, especially in cities (through low-emission zones), and by encouraging the direct purchase of zero-emission vehicles. The latter can be seen in the MOVES (Plan MOVilidad Eficiente y Sostenible’, Efficient and Sustainable Mobility Programme) incentive programmes. For several years, Spain has offered grants for both the purchase of electric vehicles and the installation of electric recharging points. While the adoption of zero-emission technology is already happening in the light-duty vehicle sector, the heavy-duty vehicle sector poses more challenges. More and more vehicle models are available, but substantial progress is still needed in the medium and long terms to see affordable vehicles on the roads.
Europe is driving a significant number of actions and regulations towards the decarbonisation of transport, from the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) to the CO2 emission standards for new light- and heavy-duty vehicles, to the forthcoming implementation of the second emissions trading system, to the Eurovignette road user charge and other energy tax measures. All of these present major challenges for Spanish citizens and companies, and will require significant public intervention in order to make progress in decarbonisation while minimising the negative impact on society. This is particularly of note for the potential effects on the economy, due to the significant share of the transport and export sector and the tourism sector in Spain’s GDP, and the vulnerability of citizens and transport companies. At the company level, only the largest companies with significant financial muscle are currently able to take steps towards decarbonisation. However, more than 95% of Spanish transport companies are small companies, with very little capacity to invest in zero-emission vehicles. Another significant challenge is how to enact the necessary changes to comply with AFIR, in a country with low population density and long distances between productive and economic centres. The mobilisation of funds, for example the Social Climate Fund, to try to minimise these barriers and support companies will be key, and will be necessary for the transport sector in Spain, which is clearly committed to climate neutrality objectives.
References