The Secretary of State for the Environment, Federico Ramos, participated yesterday in the presentation of the tenth edition of the Environmental Profile of Spain 2013, where he stressed that the environmental indicators confirm a positive evolution that ensures the possibility of promoting economic development that respects the natural environment.

The event was also attended by the directors of Environmental Quality and Assessment and the Natural Environment, Guillermina Yanguas; of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea, Pablo Saavedra; of Water, Liana Ardiles and of the Spanish Office for Climate Change, Susana Magro.

The Environmental Profile is a report for managers, experts, scientists and citizens in general that seeks to publicise Spain’s progress in the search for sustainability and efficiency in the use of natural resources.

The 2013 report presented yesterday has 17 chapters, where information can be found on specifically environmental areas – such as air, water, soil, nature, waste – and issues related to productive or development sectors from which the main pressures on the environment originate – agriculture, transport, industry or tourism.

Of the data extracted from the 2013 Environmental Profile of Spain, those relating to carbon emissions have been particularly highlighted. CO2 emissions per capita have been quantified at 7.28 tonnes per inhabitant, which places our country below the European average (9 tonnes of CO2 per inhabitant).

Likewise, in terms of water, the consumption of water distributed by the public supply network has been reduced by 12.3% between 2002 and 2011. By sectors, the reduction has been 5.1% in households, 22.2% in economic sectors and 33% in municipal consumption.

In terms of natural areas and biodiversity, it has been highlighted that 27.2% of the national territory belongs to the Natura 2000 Network. These figures place Spain as the country in the European Union that contributes the largest area to this community network of protected areas.