The fight on the climate crisis and the will to make a country sustainable and that takes care of its biodiversity are fundamental pillars for Esquerra Republicana and for Catalonia’s new Generalitat government, which through the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, will drive the Green Transformation.

Today is June 5, World Environment Day, and we are reviewing the challenges we must meet to place environmental welfare at the heart, to transform the model, to build a greener and cleaner society, to make Catalonia a healthier country.

Here are the 5 challenges we need to meet to materialize the Green Transformation:

1. Fighting the climate emergency and the energy transition. For Esquerra Republicana, it is essential we transform the energy model and decarbonize the economy and our lives by staking on 100% renewable, zero-kilometre energy efficiency, self-consumption, smart-grid management, and with democratization of the energy market. In this regard, Esquerra will promote the National Pact for the Energy Transition, with the leadership of the Government and the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda to establish a model that sets clear criteria and territorial planning at the fore. “This country definitely needs to embark on the path towards the Green Revolution. It is essential that from now on we join forces to curb climate change, and this can only be done through republican co-governance, treading the path together with all those who love the country and its biodiversity, and we will do so with a shared vision of the future,” says the Minister of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Teresa Jordà.
2. Conserving biodiversity: The party led by Oriol Junqueras is committed to a strategy for the conservation and protection of biodiversity and the landscape as a key element in ensuring equal opportunities for all territories. Thus, to make this possible, we will deploy the Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Strategy, aligned with the European Biodiversity Strategy.
3. Ensuring a more efficient use of natural resources, making rational and territorially balanced use, as in the case of water, where we would guarantee a minimum supply, and restore groundwater and ecological river flows. That is why Esquerra Republicana proposes a Comprehensive Protection Plan for the Delta de l’Ebre in order to guarantee the protection of the coastline, the protected area and its economic activities, requiring the state to fulfil its responsibilities, guaranteeing ecological flows throughout the Ebro basin, deploying structural measures and increasing the arrival of sediments. “The Comprehensive Protection Plan for the Delta de l’Ebre is essential, as the first battle in our country against climate change is at the Delta. We must keep in mind that by preserving our nature and our environment, we are also preserving the economy of the future and the prosperity of society,” explains the party’s Deputy Secretary General for Prospective and Agenda 2030, Raül Romeva.
4. Transforming waste management, committing to Zero Waste with the implementation of circular economy systems which reduce the impact of waste and improve its management. In this regard, Esquerra will push for the passage of a new Waste Prevention & Management and Resource Management Act with the goal of achieving zero waste and neutrality in greenhouse gas emissions. As Esquerra’s Secretary for the Ecological Transition Sílvia Casola elaborates, the party will also advance the goal of recycling 65% of waste nationwide by 2035 “as set by the European commitments, with joint planning and working together with the municipal authorities.”
5. Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a global challenge, and together we must be able to meet the goal of achieving a more sustainable, fair and equitable planet by 2030. With under 10 years to the date set, there are still many objectives to be met, such as the transition to a carbon-free energy model, and the reduction of pollution and gases that produce global warming. “Complying with the SDGs is a collective challenge that demands the active involvement of every one of us. Every action to fight climate change and to protect the environment counts for the health and welfare of the planet, and thus for the health and welfare of all the present and future generations,” says Mr Romeva.