Carmen Bunzl - Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Chapter 4. Case Study: Spain 183
2.4 Energy investment
Investment into energy research and development is key factor if GHG
emissions are to be reduced significantly in the long term. Figure 4 – 11 shows
total public funding energy research and development in 2004 in Spain. Energy
R&D in Spain represents a 0.06 ‰ share of national GDP, which amounted to
700,000 US$ in 2005.
Figure 4 - 11. Breakdown of energy R&D investment in Spain in 2004 into various categories (Source:
Höhne et al., 2007).
2.5 Policies and measures
Spain has signed up to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, being an Annex
I Party. Spain is also a member of the Gleneagles Dialogue.
Spain has no voluntary GHG emission targets, but according to the Kyoto
Protocol has to reduce emissions between 2008 and 2012 to 15% over its 1990
levels – which are now over 50%. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is
a priority for the Spanish Government. It has therefore implemented many
measures both within industry and in the so-called diffuse sectors (particularly
transport and residential). Since 2004, the aim has been to reverse the trend of
the past decade which had placed Spain far out of reach of its commitments.
The National Allocation Plan for 2008-2012 (PNA), takes steps to achieve
compliance as established by the Government so that total emissions in Spain
should not increase by more than 37% over the base year. This is the equivalent
of 22% points difference from the target set in the Kyoto Protocol. Of this 22%
difference, 2% must be obtained from the carbon sink and the rest (20%) from
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería ICAI Carmen Bunzl Boulet Junio 2008