La LLei del Canvi Climàtic

The Catalan Climate Change law, of 1 August 2017, is a measure based on European Community legislation. Its main aims are to:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Catalonia and foster the transition towards a low carbon economy
  • Reinforce and expand the strategies and plans that have been developed in recent years.
  • Promote and guarantee coordination of all Catalan public administrations, and promote the participation of citizens, social agents and economic agents. 
  • Become a leading country in the research and application of new technologies, and reduce Catalonia’s dependence on external energy resources.
  • Make Catalonia's role in the world visible, both in cooperation projects and in participation in global discussion forums on climate change. 

The law establishes a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to promote Catalonia’s transition to a sustainable development model and determines their commitment to achieving the objective of reducing GHG emissions by 40% by 2030, 65% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 in respect to the values of 1990.

In the summer of 2019, the Spanish Constitutional Court ruled that the Regional Government of Catalonia does not have the power to set emission reduction targets or power over the energy transition. The ruling also overturned the ban on fracking and is a setback for the aim to establish a plan for the closure of nuclear power stations by 2027.

The court ruled that fifteen articles were unconstitutional; in contrast, it backed some of the articles challenged by the executive, which included creating a tax on the carbon dioxide emissions of motor vehicles.