- This annual report analyzes various variables such as air, soil and water quality; the state of the coasts and the marine and terrestrial environment; or the health of protected forests and ecosystems
- The PAE 2021 incorporates a new web portal that allows data to be presented with a greater degree of updating, in a more intuitive and accessible way, and with the option of filtering and comparing according to preferences
- “The integrated vision of different realities based on data series allows us to evaluate trends and make the right decisions. It is essential to measure progress from the point of view of impacts; we must win the battle against time,” said Vice President Teresa Ribera
December 14, 2022- The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge publishes the Environmental Profile of Spain (PAE) 2021, an analysis of the situation of environmental health in our country. With more than 100 environmental indicators divided into five areas of knowledge, this annual report analyzes various variables such as air, soil and water quality; the state of the coasts and the marine and terrestrial environment; or the health of our protected forests and ecosystems. The main results of the report were presented today during a meeting organised at the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), which brought together the Vice-President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera; the president of the Economic and Social Council of Spain, Antón Costas; the scientist Cristina Linares, co-director of the Climate Change, Health and Urban Environment Unit of the National School of Health of the Carlos III Health Institute; and the general director of the Renewable Energy Association-APPA, José María González Moya. The conversation, moderated by the journalist Marta Montojo, focused on new ways of integrating the environmental component into processes and measurements. “The integrated vision of different realities based on data series allows us to evaluate trends and make the right decisions. It is essential to measure progress from the point of view of social and environmental impacts; We must win the battle against time,” said the vice-president during the meeting.
With the presentation of the PAE, as it has done every year since 2004, the Ministry complies with its international commitments regarding transparency and access to environmental information, in the context of the EIONET Network of the European Environment Agency and the Aarhus Convention, to which Spain has been a party since 2005.
“The improvement of the system of transmission and generation of knowledge is essential to offer alternatives for the future,” said the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Miguel González Suela, who outlined the main conclusions of the report. Along these lines, he highlighted the “vocation” of the Environmental Profile “to be a useful tool for society as a whole at a crucial time to take part in climate and environmental challenges”.
NEW, MORE ACCESSIBLE AND INTUITIVE FORMAT
As a result of this improvement process, a Profile is presented with several new features compared to last year. The latest PAE incorporates a new web portal that allows data to be presented with a greater degree of updating, in a more intuitive and accessible way, facilitating the visualization and exploration of the indicators, which can be filtered by categories, periods of time or geographical areas. It includes dashboards that quickly allow you to see the general state and the temporal evolution of certain areas of knowledge or the inclusion of two new indicators of the health impact of air pollution and the health impact of noise, both prepared by the European Environment Agency. The PAE 2021 thus aims to reach a greater number of users, bringing data of great environmental value to citizens, administrations and economic, social and academic actors.
AIR, CLIMATE AND ENERGY
Among the main conclusions of the PAE 2021, the data on emissions, both greenhouse gases and atmospheric pollutants, stand out, which fell significantly in 2020 (latest consolidated data), largely due to the slowdown in economic and social activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of air and climate, the Average Exposure Indicator (EMI) to particles with a smaller diameter, PM2.5, continued its downward trend in 2021 and decreased by 22.7% compared to 2011, with the target established by law being 15% for the year 2020. In the energy and climate subarea, throughout 2021 the demand for electricity in Spain recovered progressively after the impact of the pandemic, reaching the value of 256,482 GWh, 2.6% higher than in 2020. The installed capacity of electricity from renewable sources increased by 2.1% compared to the previous year, ending the year at 113,156 MW. Renewable energy installations accounted for 58.4% of the total installed capacity on the peninsula, an increase mainly due to the increase in photovoltaic solar power, which has contributed 80.4% of the new power.
ALL-TIME RECORD IN RENEWABLE PRODUCTION
Electricity generation from renewable sources reached an all-time high, with 46.7% in 2021, although efforts are still needed to achieve the goal of reaching an electricity system with at least 74% of generation from these sources by 2030. It should also be noted that 2021 saw the record low CO2 equivalent emissions associated with national electricity generation, 35.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, 0.6% less than in 2020, and 67.7% below the emissions recorded in 2007. Spain’s degree of energy dependence on foreign countries in 2021 was for the first time less than 70% (68.9%) compared to the 2000-2020 historical series, a value that is still above the European average (approximately 57% in 2020).
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
In the natural environment subarea, the protected land area in Spain represented 36.6% of the total in 2021 and the marine area, 12.3%. Once the goal of achieving the protection of 30% of the earth’s surface has been exceeded, the challenge is to achieve the protection of 30% of the marine surface, in accordance with the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the objectives of the Government’s Declaration on the Climate Emergency. Data on forest fires from 2010 to 2021 show a decreasing trend in the number of claims, both in outbreaks and in fires larger than 1 hectare. In 2021, on the other hand, all the variables increased compared to the previous year: the number of accidents (8.8%) and the area burned, both wooded (38.7%) and treeless (27.1%).
COASTS AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT
In terms of coasts and marine environment, the good condition of our beaches stands out, with just over 92% of coastal waters classified as excellent, slightly lower than the levels of the previous year, but 8 points above the European average in 2021. In the subarea of continental waters, it is worth noting that the peninsular reserve of the hydrological year 2020-2021 has been lower than that of the last ten years and lower than that of the last five from April to the end of the hydrological year. Specifically, in September 2021 the peninsular reservoir water reserve was 22,537 hm3 (40.3% of the reservoir capacity). In relation to the volume of water in the form of snow (VAFN), for the whole of Spain, with 7,839.4 hm3 accumulated, the hydrological year 2020-2021 presented the second lowest value in the last five years and the third in the last decade. In the 2021 inland bathing water quality monitoring, more than 80 % of bathing water sampling points offer sufficient or higher quality, with the remaining 20 % of insufficient or unclassified quality. Of the former, more than 50% are usually of excellent quality.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE
In the area of demographic challenge, the first data that stands out is the increase in population (0.3%) and resident population (1.2%) that Spain has had since 2012, and despite this, the contrast with the data of municipalities that lose population in that same period of time, 74.2%. Of these, 8.9% have lost more than 25% of their population. Another piece of data included in the report is the ageing of the Spanish population. In 2021 there was an ageing rate of 129%, higher than the 2010 rate of 106%, according to the INE. The ratio of people aged 65 and over to those under 16 has continued to grow in recent years, indicating that for every young person there are more and more older people in the country. Also according to the latest figures from the INE, in Spain there are 24 million women and 23 million men, with the female population being greater than the male population in medium and large cities. However, there is a deficit of women in small municipalities, which is greater the smaller the municipality. Within rural areas, 84% of municipalities have more men than women, compared to 11% in cities.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
In terms of circular economy, the 2020 data for Spain show a 3.6% decrease in the generation of municipal waste per inhabitant, producing 455 kg/inhabitant compared to 472 kg/inhabitant in 2019. With regard to total waste generation, that year Spain contributed almost 10% of all waste in the EU-27 and rose to third place among the countries with the highest contribution. This circumstance is somewhat consistent with its demographic position in the European Union, as it is the fourth country in population, behind Germany, France and Italy. The circularity rate represents the percentage of recovered material that is reincorporated into the production processes. In Spain this value was 11.2%, slightly lower than the EU-27 value of 12.8%. The value reached in 2020 exceeds that of 2010, with a downward trend. The forecasts for improvement in this indicator are based on the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy, Circular Spain 2030, which will be materialised through successive three-year action plans. On the other hand, energy productivity has shown a positive trend in recent years, indicating that economic growth has been at a faster rate than that of the energy used for it. Between 2010 and 2019 it has increased by 14.5%, and in 2020, by 1.1%. In 2020, Spain ranked ninth among the EU-27 countries with the highest energy productivity. It is worth noting the data reflected in the heatstroke mortality indicator, where 32% of deaths are women and 68% men in the historical series since 2004, and the 40.6% decrease in deaths due to natural disasters (19 people) from 2020 to 2021. In terms of risk assessments, there is a significant increase in both the evaluated applications for voluntary releases of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the number of applications for contained use to carry out activities with GMOs. — Link to the Environmental Profile of Spain (PAE) Link to the new indicator portal Link to the video of the event held as part of the presentation of the PAE 2021
