Spain sets course for cleaner transport: the plan until 2040

The Council of Ministers has just approved a package of measures aimed at changing the way we move around and, above all, how we fuel our vehicles. This is not a mere whim, but a legal framework that is here to stay until 2040, with the ambition of making transport stop being one of the major polluters. The idea is simple yet ambitious: to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that heat the planet, but without placing the entire burden solely on ordinary citizens, rather on those who sell us the fuel. The Government has understood that it is not enough to change the car; we have to change gasoline, diesel, and even aviation kerosene, and to do that, it needs to send clear signals to companies so they invest in greener alternatives.

The most striking feature of this agreement is that it sets annual emission reduction targets for each type of transport, but without overwhelming people with complicated figures. Broadly speaking, for cars and trucks, it requires that by 2040, the gasoline and diesel they put into their tanks have reduced their carbon footprint by 30% compared to what they emit today. And it is not just a percentage: it also mandates that, in that same year, almost a quarter of the fuel we use on the roads must be of advanced origin, such as biofuels made from waste, biogas, or renewable hydrogen. Something similar occurs with cabotage vessels (those sailing between Spanish ports) and with trains that are not yet electrified, which will have to lower their emissions by 33% and 50% respectively within that horizon. In aviation, although it defers to European regulations, it is also expected that they will use 34% sustainable fuels by 2040. In short, the goal is that every time we fill up the tank, that fuel is less harmful.

But what if we opt for an electric car? There, the Government has come up with a clever incentive: the so-called e-credits. Basically, it is a system that allows accounting for the renewable electricity consumed by plug-in vehicles, and those credits can be sold to oil companies or distributors so they can meet their decarbonisation obligations. Thus, whoever installs charging points or produces green hydrogen will be able to earn extra income, which encourages the installation of more chargers and the production of more clean energy. It is a way for electric cars not only to be good for the environment but also to generate a small business that accelerates their deployment. This mechanism also prevents responsibility from falling solely on the driver’s wallet, instead spreading the effort across the entire chain: from those who produce the energy to those who sell it.

An important detail is that the law does not tell citizens which car to buy nor does it impose fines for using their old vehicle. Those obliged to comply are the large fuel suppliers: the companies that sell gasoline, diesel, LPG, or any other propellant. They will have to blend more renewable products into their pumps each year, and if they do not, they will face very serious penalties under the Hydrocarbons Law. But there is also flexibility: if a company produces renewable hydrogen and uses it in a factory, it can count part of that saving towards road transport, which gives some leeway for the sector to adapt without shocks. Furthermore, a verification system is being created that traces the origin of each renewable fuel, from raw material to the tank, to prevent them from selling us “green” what is not. They will even award an annual “leader in energy transition” seal to those who have certified the most renewable energy.

At its core, this agreement is a necessary and brave step, although not without challenges. Transport is one of the sectors that is hardest to decarbonise, and this regulation complements other initiatives such as promoting trains or public buses. But let’s not fool ourselves: success will depend on investments materialising, on the prices of these clean fuels coming down, and on the electric charging network becoming truly accessible. For an ordinary person, the important thing is that this plan does not demand a radical change overnight, but it does ensure that, as the years go by, the gasoline they put in their car will be less polluting, and if they ever decide to go electric, there will be more places to charge it and a system that rewards that choice. It is a twenty-year horizon that seeks to provide certainty for businesses and, above all, to guarantee that the air we breathe is a little cleaner. Now we must keep an eye on it so that it does not remain just words on paper, and that the control and sanction mechanisms work, because the environment cannot wait and we, the citizens, deserve a future with less smoke and more common sense.