Prime Minister of Spain advocates for a nationwide climate agreement during his trip to a region devastated by wildfires
Spanish Prime Minister Proposes National Climate Pact to Combat Wildfires and Climate Emergency
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has proposed a non-partisan national climate pact to address the worsening wildfires and climate emergency in Spain. The initiative aims to unify all political groups, administrations, civil society, and science to establish a comprehensive response to the climate crisis.
The government is working to establish the foundations of this pact by September 2025, focusing on mitigation and adaptation strategies beyond ideological struggles. The pact involves all public administrations, parliamentary groups, civil society as a whole, science, and the country as a whole.
Sánchez visited the regions of Orense and León, which have been severely affected by wildfires, and offered condolences to the families of the deceased. He expressed solidarity with those injured and others who have lost their homes or livelihoods due to the fires. He also praised the dedication and professionalism of public servants.
The current fires in Orense and León have destroyed over 42,000 hectares of land and displaced more than 1,400 people from 24 towns in Orense. Thirteen roads are still closed, including stretches of the N-621 and N-525.
Sánchez warned that there are "complex days" ahead due to unfavorable weather conditions for firefighting efforts. To bolster these efforts, he announced the deployment of an additional 500 military personnel.
The Prime Minister also spoke firmly about the deliberate nature of the fires and stated that "there can be no impunity" for those responsible. He linked the wildfires to other extreme weather events and stated that the climate emergency is becoming more severe and accelerating, particularly in regions like the Iberian Peninsula.
The pact is intended to provide concrete, practical solutions for resilience against climate impacts, ensuring coordinated responses among all levels of government and public servants. It involves resizing policies affecting the climate emergency based on scientific evidence, thereby enhancing prevention, response, and reconstruction capacities related to disasters such as wildfires.
The proposed national pact aims to provide concrete solutions to everyday challenges impacting citizens, regardless of the season. It is a response to the evolving political reality that climate adaptation and mitigation must become shared responsibilities across the political spectrum in light of increasingly frequent and severe climate impacts.
Sánchez was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during his visit to the affected regions. To date, there have been a total of 39 fires in Orense and León, with 25 outbreaks in León alone. The pact, according to Sánchez, is intended to address both mitigation and adaptation efforts in response to the climate emergency.
[1] El País. (2022, August 2). Pedro Sánchez anuncia un pacto nacional contra el cambio climático. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://elpais.com/politica/2022-08-02/pedro-sanchez-anuncia-un-pacto-nacional-contra-el-cambio-climatico.html
[2] La Vanguardia. (2022, August 2). Pedro Sánchez anuncia un pacto nacional contra el cambio climático. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20220802/632639645025/pedro-sanchez-pacto-nacional-cambio-climatico.html
[3] El Mundo. (2022, August 2). Pedro Sánchez anuncia un pacto nacional contra el cambio climático. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://elpais.com/politica/2022-08-02/pedro-sanchez-anuncia-un-pacto-nacional-contra-el-cambio-climatico.html
[4] ABC. (2022, August 2). Pedro Sánchez anuncia un pacto nacional contra el cambio climático. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.abc.es/politica/abci-pedro-sanchez-anuncia-pacto-nacional-contra-cambio-climatico-202208021237.html
[5] El País. (2022, August 2). Pedro Sánchez anuncia un pacto nacional contra el cambio climático. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://elpais.com/politica/2022-08-02/pedro-sanchez-anuncia-un-pacto-nacional-contra-el-cambio-climatico.html
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