Informe Paralelo sobre ESPAÑA relativo a la contaminación del aire y cambio climático

The report details the health impacts of coal-fired power plants on children in Spain, highlighting thousands of cases of asthma and bronchitis. It criticizes the Spanish government for using legal exceptions to allow emissions above EU limits and for proposing a Royal Decree to hinder plant closures. Additionally, it notes that Spain's greenhouse gas emissions were 16.6% higher in 2015 than in 1990, attributing much of this to the energy sector's dependence on coal.

• Coal-fired power plants in Spain have a significant impact on children's respiratory health. A 2015 data update indicated that emissions from these plants caused 68,613 asthma attacks in children, both within Spain and across borders.
• A 2017 IIDMA study focused specifically on Spanish territory for the year 2014, finding that coal plant emissions were linked to 10,521 cases of asthma symptoms in children aged 5 to 19 and 1,233 cases of bronchitis in children.
• Regional analysis shows that Asturias was the most affected Autonomous Community, with 9.4 out of every 1,000 asthmatic children suffering bronchitis symptoms due to continuous NO2 exposure, followed by Cantabria (4.5 per 1,000) and Castilla y León (2.7 per 1,000).
• Spain has systematically used legal exceptions to allow its coal plants to exceed EU emission limit values (VLE). These include the National Transitional Plan (PNT) allowing higher emissions until June 30, 2020, the Limited Useful Life Exception (EVUL) for plants committing to limited operating hours until December 31, 2023, and the Small Isolated Grid Exception (EPRA) valid until December 31, 2019.
• Spain's greenhouse gas emissions in 2015 were 16.6% higher than in 1990, making it the EU member state with the highest increase since 1990. The report attributes this largely to the energy sector's dependence on coal.
• In 2015, coal power plants were the primary source of CO2 emissions among combustion installations in Spain, emitting over 53,000 kilotonnes, which represented 60.3% of the total emissions from such installations.
• The Spanish government is accused of attempting to prevent the closure of coal plants through a draft Royal Decree that prioritizes supply security and price over children's rights.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2017). Informe Paralelo sobre ESPAÑA relativo a la contaminación del aire y cambio climático. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/España-Informe-Paralelo.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Informe Paralelo sobre ESPAÑA relativo a la contaminación del aire y cambio climático. 2017. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/España-Informe-Paralelo.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Informe Paralelo sobre ESPAÑA relativo a la contaminación del aire y cambio climático |date=15 December 2017 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/España-Informe-Paralelo.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2017informe, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Informe Paralelo sobre ESPAÑA relativo a la contaminación del aire y cambio climático}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/España-Informe-Paralelo.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }