The Balearic government yesterday unveiled its green manifesto for 2050. One of the highlight policies is the phasing-out of diesel vehicles, as the government sets about reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, improving its green footprint and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The 'Fight Against Climate Change' was presented by the president of the Balearics, Francina Armengol, accompanied by the minister for transport and energy, Marc Pons, and the director-general for energy, Joan Groizard. In short, from 2025 no new diesel vehicles will be permitted in the Balearics. By 2035 that same rule will apply to petrol-fuelled vehicles. The main objective is that. by 2050, 100 per cent of the vehicles on Balearic roads, including hire cars, will be electric. Also, by 2025 all street and road lighting will be replaced by LEDs; solar panels will be installed on all buildings with roof spans of more than 1,000 square metres – car parks, hospitals, supermarkets and sports stadiums, for example; and coal plants will be phased out.
The car-rental companies will have to start progressively switching over their vehicle fleets from 2020 in order to meet the 2050 deadline. The new restrictions will also apply to visitors coming to the region by ferry with their own vehicles. At the presentation, Groizard said that the Balearics is the region in Spain with the most electric vehicle recharging points and that the government is investing ten million euros in expanding the network. In order to enforce the fight against climate change, the government is going to create a Balearic Institute for Energy.
Armengol explained that the Balearics is going to set the bar very high with this pioneering plan, and she knows that central government in Madrid is not going to approve. But there are other regions in Spain which have congratulated the Balearics for its bold move and may well follow the region’s example in defiance of Madrid, where the central government is still in favour of using fossil and carbon fuels while taking a gradual approach to tackling climate change.
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Query - what will happen to the Majorca Classic Car rally? Get a feeling it's going to end.
Do those guidelines include cruise ships, the ferries that transport the polluting diesel vehicles, lorries in particular or all the leisure diesel fueled 'gin palace' luxury yachts too?
And Spain - What about the Sun tax on Solar Energy. This is a crime against the world. Spain should be using all their power from the sun.Solar panels, solar roof tiles. We are fined for putting in Solar. CRIME against HUMANITY
The only electric vehicle I’ll need then is a mobility scooter bring it on ,.,
Not as good as it could be if the electricity is derived from coal power stations though. It'd be more sensible to commit to renewables too. 300 days of sunshine a year for solar power (doesn't feel like it at the moment though - see "better in winter") and very predictable on and off shore breezes for wind turbines. This island could generate much of its needs, if not all and lead the way on the technology too. Or has Mallorca missed that boat too?
It is a positive step, and to be welcomed, but if I am being cynical, and I usually am, I think this is an opportunistic bit of headline grabbing that won't involve a great deal of work. Most European and Far East motor manufacturers, incentivised by tighter emission regulations set for 2023 have pledged to have an extensive range of all electric vehicles by 2025, Volvo will make only electric vehicles from next year. As rental companies tend only to use cars that are maximum less than a couple of years old, it is probably fair to say that they will be virtually all electric by 2030, and private finance is likely to provide charging stations to exploit the increasing number of all electric vehicles along a similar timeline. In all likelihood most of Europe, and probably a great deal of the rest of the world is going to virtually all electric well before 2050 anyway. Still, nice to see the Island's PR department is alive to the opportunity of a bit of zero cost publicity.