“Two years after the Climate Change and Energy Transition law was passed, we take stock of how this law has had an impact in practice”
The EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy highlights territorial and urban planning as the main disciplines in which climate action should be taken
In Spain, Law 7/2021 of 20 May on Climate Change and Energy Transition has been a milestone with regard to climate action in the country, and in particular with regard to adaptation. The law provides for the integration of climate change risks in the planning and management of policies: hydrological, coastal, territorial and urban, urban development, building and transport infrastructure, food safety and diet, as well as public health.
A relevant aspect is that the Law on Land and Urban Rehabilitation has been changed. It now includes the need to consider the risks arising from climate change in land use planning, and the adaptation to climate change of the calculation and design of building and transport infrastructure.
Application in territorial and urban planning
Two years after it was passed, it seems appropriate to take stock of the situation: how this Climate Change and Energy Transition Law has had an impact in practice and how it is being applied. It is also important to reflect on factors that either help or hinder the situation, in order to extract lessons learnt and proposals for innovation that are required to streamline the incorporation of climate change into technical policy tools.
TECNALIA and the Chair of Valencian Territorial Culture are organising a conference the application of the law on climate change in territorial and urban planning tools. Representatives of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OECC), the Regional Government of Valencia, the Territorial Delegation of Cadiz of the Andalusian Regional Government, the Government of Navarre, the Basque Government and the Regional Government of Catalonia, as well as local councils, will share experiences and case studies.
