Adopted unanimously, it goes beyond the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
The main objective of this law is to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and encourage adaptation to climate change, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of Andalusian people.
This law is consistent with the Paris Agreement of the United Nations on limits to global warming. It has received broad social support and has been approved unanimously in parliament. It extends the objectives of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to diffuse emissions, which account for 55% of the pollution linked to climate change in the region of Andalusia and establishes carbon quotas for the rest of the sectors: agriculture, transport, building and housing, residential, commercial and the industry not included in the ETS.
The policies derived from the application of this law will be developed through the Andalusian Plan of Action for Climate, which will set objectives and measures in three programs:
- The Mitigation of Emissions for the Energy Transition program,
- The Adaptation program, and
- The Communication and Participation program.
The Andalusian municipalities must prepare Municipal Programs against Climate Change that will fall on the strategic areas in terms of mitigation of emissions and adaptation established in the Law.
Regarding the companies, the Andalusian Registered Emissions System (SAER) has been created, for activities of high-energy consumption, and appointing new obligations of transparency and reduction of emissions.
Circular Public Procurement
The mitigation program should contain transitional measures according to the Waste Framework Directive, and follow the circular economy criteria, selecting the options according to the best environmental result: Prevention, reuse, recycling, other valuations, including energy, and finally, elimination.
Regarding circular public procurement, the Law contains a chapter on green public procurement, which includes measures such as the inclusion of sustainability criteria and energy efficiency, recycling, reuse or certified renewable energy.
The reduction of emissions in the production and commercialization processes, as well as the ecological and proximity origin of certain products, will also be preferred criteria for awarding contracts. The life cycle analysis is incorporated into the best cost-effectiveness ratio in the contracts.
Additionally, some tools are created directly related to the circular public purchase processes, such as the Carbon Footprint of Products and Services, through which the emissions of the products or services that are marketed will be measured and communicated.
Although the registration to this Carbon Footprint register is voluntary, the Andalusian government will introduce the obligation to have a carbon footprint to the organizations with which it contracts products and services.
With the approval of this law, the region once again becomes a benchmark against global warming.
In CircPro, one of the project aims is to develop circular procurement procedures to be regarded as regional policy (and legal) instruments. Regarded as strategic tool, it enables the systematical implementation of circular procurement in practice. For further information about how this will be done in Andalusia, contact the CircPro project partner from Spain, Mr Juan-Francisco Muñoz-Muñoz, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Regional Government of Andalusia, [email protected].
