US embassy cable - 05MADRID393

UNCLAS MADRID 000393 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/EGC (ED FENDLEY) AND EUR/WE; ALSO PASS 
TO ESTH COLLECTIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, SP, Other 
SUBJECT: SPAIN'S CO2 EMISSIONS RISE TO TRIPLE ITS KYOTO 
PROTOCOL TARGET 
 
REF: MADRID 227 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1.  Environment Ministry Secretary General for Pollution and 
Climate Change Arturo Gonzalez Aizpiri announced February 1 
that Spain's greenhouse gas emissions rose by three percent 
during 2004, lifting current emissions levels to 45 percent 
over Spain's 1990 levels.  Under the Kyoto Protocol, Spain 
has committed to reducing such emissions to 15 percent over 
1990 levels by the year 2012.  Aizpiri attributed the rise to 
the previous government's refusal to make serious efforts to 
combat CO2 emissions, as well as to a continuing rise in 
electricity demand. 
 
2.  Aizpiri said he feared emissions would continue to 
increase in 2005.  He underscored that Spain's recent drought 
had decreased the amount of electricity generated from 
"clean" hydroelectric sources while increasing the percentage 
generated by "dirty" coal or natural gas-fired plants. 
Aizpiri said he remained very concerned that contrary to the 
general EU trend, the electricity demand growth rate in Spain 
continues to outstrip the GDP growth rate.  Electricity 
demand rose by 3.6 percent in 2004, while GDP increased by 
2.6 percent.  This trend complicates GOS efforts to meet its 
Kyoto targets. 
 
3.  Aizpiri reiterated that the GOS remains committed to 
reducing CO2 emissions to 24 percent over 1990 levels by 
2012.  The GOS continues to plan to obtain the remaining nine 
percent (to meet the 15 percent over 1990 levels target) by 
buying emissions credits on the just established EU emissions 
trading market, and via helping other countries implement 
"clean" development strategies (i.e., credits under Kyoto's 
Clean Development Mechanism).  He announced no new government 
programs designed to help reach the targets, limiting himself 
to reiterating previously reported GOS Kyoto-related efforts. 
 
4.  COMMENT:  This government is more committed to meeting 
Kyoto targets than its predecessor, which was voted out of 
power in March 2004.  This government is also more honest 
about the difficulties Spain faces in meeting, what appears 
to most experts to be, almost unreachable targets.  In recent 
meetings with GOS climate change officials, we got the 
impression that our interlocutors realized they would never 
succeed but were committed to doing all they could to at 
least achieve significant reductions in Spanish greenhouse 
gas emissions. 
 
 
MANZANARES