1st NDC: 03/24/2017
Update 2020 1
On March 2, 2011 Andorra adhered to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a Party not included in Annex I (nonAnnex I) 2.
During the nineteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) held in Warsaw (2013), decision 1 / CP.19 was adopted, entitled Means to continue with the implementation of the Durban platform, established in paragraph 2, point b, that at the twenty-first session (in December 2015), a mutually agreed protocol, legal instrument or text with legal value, developed in accordance with the UNFCCC and applicable to all Parties, would be adopted. In order for this instrument to enter into force and apply from 2020, it invited all Parties to initiate or expand internal preparations to develop their Nationally Determined Expected Contributions (INDCs), without prejudice to the legal nature of such contributions, with a view to adopting a protocol, other legal instrument or a mutually agreed text that has legal value, prepared under the UNFCCC and applicable to all Parties. This, with a view to achieving the objective of the Convention set out in Article 2, and communicating it well in advance of the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (first quarter of 2015 for Parties ready to do so) to improve clarity , transparency and understanding of planned contributions, without prejudice to the legal nature of such contributions.
In 2014, all Parties were invited to communicate their first NDC prior to COP21, during the first quarter of 2015, in a clear, transparent and understandable manner (paragraph 13 of decision 1 / CP.20 of the 20th Conference of the Parties, Lime).
Andorra was one of the pioneering Parties to communicate its INDC in 2015, according to which the commitment was to reduce GHG emissions by 37% compared to the Bussines as usual (BAU) scenario, 530.55 Gg CO2 eq.), For the year 2030.
During the COP21 negotiation (December 2015), the Parties adopted decision 1 / CP.21, which proposes a new strategy and becomes a necessary instrument for the implementation of processes related to the fight against climate change, the Paris Agreement. This new agreement, signed by Andorra on April 22, 2016 and ratified by the Andorran Parliament unanimously on November 30, 2016, has become a universal legal instrument.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are at the core of the Paris Agreement and must enable the long-term goals to be achieved, both to reduce national emissions and to adapt to the effects of climate change. Article 4, paragraph 2 and 9 of this Agreement foresees that each Party prepares, communicates and maintains its NDCs, and that this communication is made every 5 years.
In this sense, with the signing of the Paris Agreement, Andorra must report every five years on its nationally determined contributions (NDC) to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, this year 2020 being the first update of our NDC.
The tenth report on the disparity in emissions from UN-Environment (2019) evaluates the latest scientific studies on estimated current and future GHG emissions, comparing it with the admissible emission levels for the world to progress on the path of least cost towards achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement. During the World Summit on Climate Action, which took place during the week of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019, the objective was to promote the adoption of measures and, above all, to do everything possible for countries to contract the obligation to increase their CDNs in 2020 and aim to achieve zero net emissions before 2050. During said Summit,
Likewise, on January 23, 2020, the Andorran Parliament approved the Declaration of the climate and ecological state of emergency, prepared with the active participation of young people, which requests the Government to promote the transition towards carbon neutrality in accordance with the Objective Sustainable Development 13 (Climate Action).
For all these reasons, this year 2020 is an opportunity for the process to fight climate change because the Parties update our NDCs, maintaining and reinforcing the commitment and planning long-term development strategies to reduce our GHG emissions, taking into account that the Paris Agreement commits us to come as close as possible to limiting the global temperature increase below 1.5ºC at the end of the 21st century.
In this sense, and through this document, Andorra communicates its contributions determined in 2020 at the national level in accordance with decision 1 / CP.21.
National circumstances Andorra is a small (468 km2 ) and mountainous country (located in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain, with a population of 77,543 inhabitants (2019). Due to its location in the middle of the Pyrenees mountain range, it is a rugged terrain, with an average height of 2,044 meters (the minimum height of the country is 850 m in the Valira river valley, and the maximum height is 2,942 m at the top of Coma Pedrosa). The country's waters cross the border with France and Spain, and feed two large European drainage basins: the Ebro in the south and the Garonne in the north. After a period of deforestation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, forests recovered land from abandoned meadows and meadows, and currently approximately 39% of the country's territory is covered by forest mass, while infrastructure and urban areas occupy only 1.7% of the territory. The climate of Andorra is a humid mountain climate of medium latitude with a Mediterranean influence in the southern zone, characterized by a continental Mediterranean climate. This climate gives the country a rich biodiversity with the necessary conditions to adapt to a wide range of different habitats that host a large number of living beings, some of them unique or even endemic species. Temperatures evolve according to the temperature of the northern hemisphere areas, with an annual average of 5.36ºC. Average precipitation is around 950 mm / year (19502017). This climate has already evolved, with a trend in the last 30 years of approximately + 0.13ºC / decade increase in average temperatures (most pronounced change in spring), These climatic variations will have consequences on the different ecosystems, but also on their inhabitants and the economic activities that take place. The Andorran economy is mainly focused on tertiary activities. Services are the most important sector of the Principality's economy: 86.1% of companies and 87.7% of employees. The financial sector plays an important role as the engine of this sector and represents 19.6% of GDP, according to 2017 figures. Tourism is one of the fundamental pillars of the Andorran economy, directly or indirectly responsible for 60% of GDP with approximately 8 million visitors a year. In winter, ski-related products predominate with 2.51 million ski days sold (2017-2018 season) spread over more than 3,200 hectares of skiable area. The snow sector is the mainstay of 2,000 jobs, but it is highly vulnerable to climate change and rising oil prices, The agricultural sector, based on a traditional system of extensive agricultural and livestock management that guarantees a sustainable balance between livestock and agricultural use, only represents 0.54% of the country's GDP (2017), but plays an important role in providing a large number of environmental services, particularly in landscape conservation and fire safety control. The industrial sector is very limited at the country level (5.1% of GDP in 2017). As for the energy sector, Andorra is highly dependent on fossil fuels and imported electrical energy. 76% of the total energy consumed in the country depends on fossil fuels (fully imported). The electricity consumed in Andorra (around 600 GWh / year) is imported mainly from France and Spain. National production reached 18.5% in 2017 (produced from renewable energy sources and the energy recovery of waste). |
The policy to combat climate change that determines the national climate regulation and strategy is based on four guiding principles that are integrated into any climate regulation, project or action that develops the country's climate policy. With this will in September 2018, the Andorran Parliament unanimously approved Law 21/2018, to promote the energy transition and fight against climate change, which includes these principles in its first chapter.
ubsequently, on April 17, 2019, the Andorran Council of Ministers approved the National Strategic Plan for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, which complements these objectives established in the national climate regulations.
The set of these global principles and objectives also represent an opportunity for the development of a new economy, with the creation of new types of employment and new technologies.
These principles are:
Sustainability : the actions that are carried out satisfy the needs of the current generation, without compromising the capacity to satisfy the needs of future generations, applying it in the broadest sense and in all kinds of aspects in the social, environmental and economic spheres. In the actions of the energy sector, specifically, renewable energy sources, the reduction of energy demand, energy efficiency and the reduction of global GHG emissions from this sector are prioritized.
Protection and information : provide understandable information to citizens that enables conscious consumption habits and decisions to be made. The participation of citizens and agents involved in the elaboration of climate strategies is also a key aspect. To ensure this effective participation, citizens receive the necessary information in a transparent manner. To do this, Law 21/2018, to promote the energy transition and fight against climate change, creates the National Commission on Energy and Climate Change, configured by different actors in the sector, private and public, youth, third sector, etc. . actively participating in the national energy strategy and the fight against climate change. The protection of citizens involves generating territorial equity, a fair distribution of costs and a quality and guarantee of services, especially energy.
Economic growth : the promotion of economic activities with a high added value is carried out through the application of the best available techniques to create new market or business possibilities. Using the best available technology avoids, or at least minimizes, emissions and impacts on the environment as a whole.
Sovereignty and diversification: to promote the country's resilience in the face of the changes that occur, sovereignty increases and the different economic sectors diversify. Specifically, in the energy sector, national energy production is increased to reduce risks in the face of changes in the market.
The National Energy Strategy and the fight against climate change, which consists of 5 action programs and 17 activities, is the tool or roadmap to achieve neutrality ; develop a plan for adaptation to climate change to cope with the current and anticipated situation in the future; structure a financing system to carry out the planned actions; sensitize, educate and train the population; carry out research and innovation tasks essential to understand and respond to new environmental and technological challenges.
The actions included in the strategy are directed at specific sectors such as energy, mobility, agriculture and waste management, among others, as well as different sectors to address more cross-cutting issues such as the promotion of the circular economy, changes in our consumption habits, the application of solutions based on nature, the promotion of research in these areas and the inclusion of new concepts in the education of all citizens.
The set of these actions always follows the guiding principles discussed above, and has the participation of the National Commission on Energy and Climate Change. This document is reviewed at least every 6 years, so that it will include the commitments of the new NDCs presented in the future, both documents being fed back and periodically reviewed according to international agreements and national regulations.
Commitment description and scenarios
The commitments regarding the reduction of unabsorbed emissions presented in 2015 through the INDC were the result of Andorra's First biannual update report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (December 2014). According to the commitments presented, in 2030 the planned nationally determined contributions (CPDN) of Andorra were in line with the evolution of the RCP2.6 scenario, compatible with keeping the global increase in temperatures below the 2ºC threshold during the century XXI, based on the values 1850-1900, and consistent with rigorous mitigation measures, as well as the maintenance of global concentrations of CO2 eq. in the range of 430 to 480 ppm.
These commitments materialized in the reduction of the equivalent emissions not absorbed by 2030, by 37% (193.73 Gg CO2 eq.) In relation to the emissions not absorbed from the BAU scenario, proposed in the First BUR of Andorra to the UNFCCC (December 2014).
The commitment presented in this update reinforces the actions to achieve the objective defined in the first NDC in the medium term, by 2030, and pursues carbon neutrality by 2050 in the long term.
The quantified reduction in an absolute value relative to unabsorbed emissions is maintained in the medium term for 2030 with respect to the Business as usual scenario defined in Andorra's First biannual update report to the UNFCCC (2014).
A long-term commitment for 2050 is included, seeking carbon neutrality, that is, the balance between emissions and removals by 2050.
Thus, the implementation period for mitigation objectives is divided into two periods, the first in the short and medium term, which runs from 2020 to 2030, and the second, long-term, which runs from 2031 to year 2050.
The reduction levels of the medium-term scenario are specified in 37% (193.73 Gg CO2 eq.) Of the annual emissions not absorbed with respect to the Business as usual scenario , between now and 2030. This percentage will be revised in case of that an important modification be made in the methodology for the elaboration of the national GHG inventory that was presented in the first biannual update report under the UNFCCC (2014).
By 2050, the level of reduction will be sufficient for GHG emissions to be balanced with the absorptions of these gases, either through national sink capacity or other capture, storage or compensation measures through national mechanisms or international based on the market, reaching an approximate value of 140 Gg CO2 eq.
The actions that must allow achieving emissions reduction for the 3 key GHG sectors in Andorras in the medium term (2030) are:
Energy sector, and more specifically actions on the electricity sector, mobility and building. In this sense, it is expected to reduce energy intensity by a minimum of 20%, with an increase in national electricity production (which will be more than 75% from renewable sources) of 33% of electricity demand. More specifically in the subsector of fuel combustion activities, for road transport the fixed reduction is 50% of the GHG emissions produced by internal transport. For this, among some of the planned actions, it is established through the Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change, reducing GHG emissions by increasing the percentage of electrically powered vehicles in the national car park of passenger cars to 20% for the 2030. As for the building sector, any new construction is designed and executed to achieve a building with almost zero energy consumption, as also regulated by the aforementioned Law.
Agriculture, forestry and land use sector : it is expected to maintain at least the sink capacity of the country's forest mass in 2017, quantified in -139 Gg CO2 eq. annual. For this, it is important to have a good quantification of the sump capacity of our forests as a vitally important nature-based solution, which is why we have improved our GHG inventory based on an analysis of land uses through the collection and evaluation of satellite images. The result of this improvement is analyzed in the BUR to be reported this year 2020.
Waste sector : The per capita emissions (taking into account the equivalent population) of GHG from the solid waste subsector will comply with the objectives of the Circular Economy Law, currently being drafted. These objectives will be specified in the necessary actions through the Circular Economy Plan that the law develops for its correct implementation.
For the long-term commitment (2050), the actions planned for the 3 key GHG sectors are as follows. In addition to these actions, compensation mechanisms will be implemented to achieve the goal if necessary:
Energy sector, and more specifically actions on the electricity sector, mobility and building. The energy intensity will be reduced by a minimum of 30%, with an increase in national electricity production (which will be more than 85% from renewable sources) of 50% of electricity demand. More specifically, in the fuel combustion activities subsector, for road transport the reduction is not fixed in the long term, but it will continue with the increase in the percentage of electrically powered vehicles in the national car park of passenger cars to 50%. As for the building sector, any new construction is designed and executed to achieve a building with almost zero or positive energy consumption.
Agriculture, forestry and land use sector : around 23% of emissions are absorbed by the forest mass of the territory, so that an improvement in silvicultural management that incorporates nature-based solutions must allow not only the scenario foreseen in the medium term, that is to say, that at least the sink capacity of the country's forest mass of the year 2017 (quantified in -139 Gg CO2 eq. annual) will be maintained, but that the ambition regarding the sink capacity of the forests of the country.
Waste sector: The per capita emissions (taking into account the equivalent population) of GHG from the solid waste subsector are reduced compared to the medium-term scenario due to the progress of implementation of the Circular Economy Plan.
The set of planned measures or actions are summarized in the table attached to this NDC.
The Parties' commitment is consistent with their responsibilities and according to their capacities, as well as the support received from the international community. In this sense:
Andorra is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as a Party not included in Annex I. At the international level, by 2017, Andorra is responsible for approximately 0.0009496%3 of global emissions, responsibility which tends to decrease (with a reduction between 2000 and 2010 of 21%, and between 2010 and 2017 of 15%).
The GHG emissions of Andorra have shown a clear downward trend since 2005 (-23% between 2005 and 2017), to the contrary of what is observed worldwide with an increase of over 15% for the same period.
The mitigation policies associated with the sectors mentioned are long-term actions, with limited profitability and short-term results.
By 2030, the Andorra NDC is in line with the RCP2.6 concentration scenario, a scenario with strict mitigation measures and the maintenance of global concentrations of CO2 eq. in the range of 430-480 ppm (as justified in the first NDCs presented) a necessary condition to maintain a temperature below 2ºC in the 21st century (compared to the period 1850-1900), with a probable degree of certainty (probable, 66% -100%).
Globally, to ensure that the increase in temperatures is below the 2ºC barrier at the end of the 21st century (compared to the reference period 1850-1900), the emissions reported in 2010 should be reduced by 41 and 72% by 2050. According to the latest report on the disparity in emissions of 2019 of the United Nations Environment Program, this reduction should be from 2020 of 2.7% per year (7.6 % if instead you want to achieve the objective of not increasing more than 1.5ºC at the end of the 21st century), this reduction commitment of 2.7% per year is in line with our long-term carbon neutrality commitment for the year 2050 4 .
Information to facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding
In order to correctly monitor the commitment defined in the first NDC and to reinforce this commitment with this new update, the value of unabsorbed emissions from the Business as usual scenario (530.55 Gg CO2 eq., by 2030), defined in Andorra's First biannual update report for the UNFCCC.
Because more than 98% of total GHG emissions (from 1990 to 2017) come from the energy and waste sectors (see evolution of national GHG emissions and removals according to the third BUR presented in the framework of the UNFCCC, graph 1), according to the categories defined in the 2006 GIECC guidelines to carry out the national GHG inventory, the scope of the actions planned to achieve the GHG mitigation objective set in this NDC for Andorra focuses on these 2 sectors.
Despite the fact that the scope of the national inventory of GHG emissions according to the 2006 GIECC guidelines includes imported electrical energy only for information purposes, it represents more than 23% of the country's energy consumption and approximately 12% of total emissions, according to our calculation of the carbon footprint, so it has been considered pertinent to include the necessary mitigation actions to minimize electricity consumption and GHG emissions in this subsector.
Likewise, mitigation actions also include actions on the sector that provides the country's sink capacity to absorb GHGs, which is the agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors.
Graph 1. Evolution of total GHG emissions (Gg CO2 eq presented in the third BUR of andorra (2019)
The following greenhouse gases are included in the NDC, in accordance with the inventoried gases and reported in our BURs according to the 2006 GIECC Guidelines and subsequent reviews for conducting national GHG inventories:
Carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4 ), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6 ).
The GHG emitted by the energy and waste sector represent more than 96% of the total GHG inventoried according to the latest GHG inventory (2017). For accounting purposes, the global warming potentials of the Fifth Report of the GIECC (2014) were considered.
The Law 21/2018 of 13 September, pulse energy transition and climate change creates the domestic market for voluntary GHG offset, and although its integration into the international market is not immediately planned, yes It complies with international standards in order to have an additional tool that incorporates mitigation actions in the diffuse sectors and, if necessary, in the future it is a complementary measure to comply with the commitments of the NDC.
For the revision and update of the NDC of the Government of Andorra from the Office of Energy and Climate Change, integrated in the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability, the set of national and international regulations and commitments that in recent years have been approved.
Especially noteworthy is Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change 5 . A Law approved unanimously in Parliament that was prepared based on a proposal for a Government Law, for which the different Ministries that comprise it participated and contributed their strategic points and considerations, in accordance with the international commitments that had previously been signed. , such as the UNFCCC (accession on March 2, 2011) and the Paris Agreement (2016).
For the preparation of the proposed Law that was later approved, other technical reference documents were taken into account:
The 2012 Andorra White Paper on Energy
The 2016 Andorra Energy Infrastructure Sector Plan
The revised National Waste Plan for the period 2017-2020
The national biodiversity strategy of andorra (ENBA) for the period 2016-2024
Existing regulations on energy efficiency, renewable energy and organization and management of the national energy system.
The first NDC approved by Andorra.
Communications in compliance with the UNFCCC in Andorra since 2014.
Thus, this update of the NDC takes into account the goals defined in the medium and long term by Law 21/2018, previously referred to, as well as subsequent strategic commitments of the Government, which are incorporated into the National Energy Strategy and the fight against long-term climate change by 2050.
The National Energy Strategy and the fight against climate change responds to the commitment to determine a route to achieve the GHG neutrality goal in 2050 that was taken in PreCOP 25 (October 2019) and that was formally communicated during the speech in the plenary of COP25 (December 10, 2019) by the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability of the Government of Andorra, and for this reason it is introduced as such in the update of the NDC for this year 2020.
For the next NDC update, the participation of the different private and public sector actors through the National Energy and Climate Change Commission and the working groups that depend on it, is a key part of the planning, This participatory body will be active during the process of reviewing the National Energy Strategy and the fight against climate change, which in turn will fuel the next NDC (see Legal and strategic mechanisms for the implementation of the NDC).
In order to make Andorra's commitment understandable and comparable, the values have been compared to the equivalent carbon dioxide values through its Global Warming Power (GWP). The GWP reference values considered are those of the fifth GIECC assessment report (SAR, GWP, 100-year time horizon ).
Although not applicable to Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention, the values proposed by decision 24 / CP.19 (revision of the GIECC guidelines for reporting annual inventories) have been adopted to the extent possible. of the Parties included in Annex I of the Convention).
In order to plan the necessary actions to reach the goal of reducing GHG emissions in the medium (2030) and long-term (2050), we start with the basic information on the national GHG inventory and the definition of the scenarios following:
Hypothesis adopted for the preparation of GHG inventories presented in the biannual information update reports for the UNFCCC. These inventories are carried out according to the Guidelines for the elaboration of GHG inventories of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2006 and 2019 Refinements).
The definition of the Business as usual scenario is made according to the following hypotheses for the 3 key sectors in terms of GHG in Andorra:
Energy sector: GHG emissions per capita are maintained (taking into account the equivalent population, that is, the average resident and floating population) from 2005 (year of maximum GHG emissions) until 2050.
AFOLU sector: GHG emissions related to the agriculture and livestock subsector have been maintained since 2000 (an increase in the agricultural area is not foreseen and the capacity of cattle is also at the maximum of its value according to the area and type of livestock of the country, which is extensive), while the GHG sink capacity by the forest mass of the land use sector is considered constant and equal to the average of the estimated GHG absorption capacity for the period 1990-2011.
Waste sector: The per capita emissions (taking into account the equivalent population) of GHG from the solid waste subsector have been maintained since 1995 (the year in which the first actions to reduce emissions in this subsector began to have their effects, due to the progressive introduction of selective collection and improvement of treatment facilities) until 2050. Regarding emissions per capita (also based on the equivalent population) of the wastewater subsector, it is considered that these, on the other hand, are they remain constant from 2005, the year in which actions to improve the treatment of these waters begin to have effects on GHG emissions.
The rest of the hypotheses used to prepare the scenarios are based on the basic data on the evolution of the resident population, the equivalent population, and GDP evolution. A more detailed description of the BAU scenario is included in the BURs submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat until 2019.
The medium and long-term scenarios are estimated from the BAU scenario, incorporating the set of objectives and measures planned and described in the Type of commitment: medium and long-term vision section. The estimates for the calculation of the medium-term scenario were already incorporated in the first BUR presented by Andorra (2014), and since Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change, on The one that is based on the objectives of this term for our NDCs, includes as a minimum the actions foreseen by the first BUR, as explained in the Planning process section., the projection of the emissions made in the medium term in the first BUR are kept as such in this document. Regarding the long-term emissions scenario , the document that compiles these projections is the one that serves as a roadmap for the actions that are implemented, the national energy strategy and the fight against climate change.
Natural disturbances or extraordinary events related to carbon sinks will not be considered in evaluating compliance with NDC commitments. These disturbances so far have not represented significant changes in these sectors, as has been reported in our BURs.
At the international level, the UNFCCC recognizes the vulnerability of all countries to the effects of climate change. Although adaptation processes received less attention than GHG mitigation efforts during the first years of the Convention, since the publication of the third GIECC Evaluation Report (2001), the need to work on adaptation issues gained importance and all the Parties to the Convention agreed that it was of vital importance. In 2010, during COP16, the National Adaptation Plans (NAP) process was established so that the Parties could identify adaptation needs in the medium and long term with the objective of developing strategies and programs to address these needs ( Cancun Adaptation Agreement).
Under this international framework, in Andorra in 2014 a participatory process was carried out on the adaptation of Andorra to climate change (PAACC) with the aim of identifying the possible impacts of climate change on the socioeconomic and environmental sectors in the country and thus assessing what were the vulnerabilities of each of them, as well as identifying adaptation measures to reduce vulnerability and cope with these impacts.
To carry out the PAACC, the impacts of climate change on the Principality's territory were identified from previous scientific work carried out in Andorra and the whole of the Pyrenees within the framework of the cooperation project of the Pyrenean Observatory on climate change (OPCC) 6 . In total, 43 adaptation measures were identified, which are classified according to the type of action and the thematic scope as follows:
| Measurement typology | Number of measurements | Thematic |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | 15 | Water resource Energy Tourism Natural risks Mobility |
| Operational | 10 | Agriculture and livestock Health Energy |
| Normative | 5 | Natural areas / Landscape Energy Water resource |
| Research and studies | 5 | Natural spaces / Landscape Natural risks |
| Awareness and education | 3 | Water resource Energy Natural risks |
| Financial instruments | 5 | Tourism Natural risks |
Table 1. Adaptation measures identified and prioritized in the PAACC (2014)
To ensure that the adaptation measures are coherent and adapt to the real and anticipated changes in the territory, the study of the impact and vulnerability in relation to climate change continues, and Law 21/2018, of September 13, on boosting the energy transition and climate change, considers that the priority themes are health, agriculture, energy and tourism.
The adaptation measures identified in 2014 are reviewed and new measures are incorporated if necessary, consistent with the roadmap established by the National Energy Strategy and the fight against climate change. These measures take into account nature's ecosystem services and incorporate nature- based solutions to increase the resilience of the territory, especially for the improvement of sink capacity and the management and minimization of risks related to the effects of climate change in a mountain territory like Andorra.
In order to carry out rigorous scientific studies, cross-border cooperation is considered necessary, which is why Andorra continues to promote OPCC 6 , which currently has as one of the objectives in the framework of the ADAPYR 7 project development during the period 2020- 2022 of a Pyrenean Strategy for adaptation to climate change.
With the support of this cross-border work, the adaptation measures identified in the PAACC in 2014 will be updated in accordance with the priorities established in Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change.
It should be noted that, as described in national circumstances, Andorra has an important natural heritage. For this reason, and in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, June 5, 1992), in 2016 the Andorran National Biodiversity Strategy (ENBA) for the period 2016-2024 was approved , which integrates the effects of climate change (bioinvasions, loss of species, overexploitation of resources, etc.). It is to be hoped that the implementation of this strategy will allow the adoption of the necessary adaptation measures in the medium term, consistent with the results of the ADAPYR project and other studies carried out in this area.
Likewise, the improvement of the knowledge of our natural environment and its operation leads us to the consolidation of a management model of the natural and rural territory that allows us to improve the country's resilience through measures based on nature.
Legal and strategic mechanisms
Unanimous approval in Parliament of Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change and deployment of the corresponding regulations. The 2018 Law included in the legal text the reduction of emissions to the levels of commitment of the first NDC of Andorra (-37% of emissions not absorbed by 2030 with respect to the BAU scenario), and specifically specific measures for the different subsectors in the field of mitigation and adaptation.
One of the tools that Law 21/2018, of September 13, to promote the energy transition and climate change provides is the National Energy Strategy and the fight against climate change. This Strategy includes different mitigation, adaptation, innovation and technology training programs, education and awareness, etc. and defines a more ambitious objective than the Law in terms of reduction commitment, since it includes the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, as Andorra has already advanced in the preparation of COP 25 and as contemplated in the update of the NDC of this year 2020.
The strategy and its revisions will be the planning tool that will serve as the basis for subsequent updates of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), as outlined below:
This government commitment is also driven by the Declaration of the State of Climate and Ecological Emergency, approved by the Parliament on January 23, 2020, which requests the Government to promote the transition towards carbon neutrality in accordance with the Development Goal. sustainable 13 (Climate action).
The transport sector represents 59% of GHG emissions, according to data from the year 2017. For this reason, the National Mobility Strategy is elaborated with the aim of reducing emissions and respecting the hierarchy in the prioritization of transport systems established. in Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change : first, privilege public transport and promote non-motorized or assisted mobility; second, promote electric motorized mobility or from a source low in GHG emissions.
Prior to the approval of Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate change, in 2018, given the need for a change in the energy model, the Government approved the Infrastructure Sector Plan energy sources of Andorra (Decree of 16-05-2018), the urban planning tool to identify and plan the execution of energy infrastructures that must allow the development of the new energy model, following the criterion of reducing GHG emissions and promoting renewable energy . The overall objective of this Sector Plan in energy matters, currently in force, was subsequently included in the aforementioned Law.
Mechanisms in innovation, technology, education and capacity building
Technologies are evolving very rapidly and there is an urgent need to adopt the most advanced technologies for decarbonisation and adaptation to the phenomena of climate change; and the application of these requires their subsequent evaluation through the indicators that are defined.
For all these reasons, the National Energy Strategy and Climate Change incorporates a program of innovation, research and systematic observation, which includes, as Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and change Climate, establishes: the possibility of conducting pilot tests, as well as promoting interaction between the actors of the economic system and the scientific world (Article 8). A key piece in improving management against climate change and other sectors, such as health, as demonstrated in the recent health crisis caused by COVID-19.
The transition to a low-GHG economy should not only be a technological transition, and therefore it is also working on a social transition that involves education and capacity building.
Therefore, the national energy strategy and the fight against climate change includes:
The training towards carbon neutrality of the professional sector, a key sector in the implementation of actions under transition energy (energy efficiency, renewable energy production, etc.). Article 43 of Law 21/2018, of September 13, promoting the energy transition and climate changeMore specifically, it provides that professionals who provide services in the executive field of installation, assembly and construction work, in the context of the energy transition, require specific professional training, with the ultimate goal of ensuring high degree of quality in the services provided and ensuring consumer protection. This law entrusts the Government with the approval and publication of the requirements of the resulting professional training and qualifications, as well as the adaptation and adoption of the appropriate regulations to make these provisions effective.
The awareness and dissemination towards neutrality in carbon citizenship. Currently, there is already an environmental information and awareness agency ( Sustainable Andorra ) from which the information related to climate change is reinforced, with the aim that society has sufficient and adequate information to be able to also decide individually on their habits and lifestyles, on how these influence the whole of society towards carbon neutrality.
The educational transition. The Law 21/2018, of September 13, pulse energy transition and climate change, entrusts the Government, through the Ministry competent for education to ensure awareness and educating the public school in the country relationship to climate change and planned national action. For this, an analysis of the integration of this subject in the different grades or didactic units of the country's educational systems is carried out.
The information and protection of the user. As the aforementioned Law provides, the empowerment of citizens as consumers involves informing so that they can make their decisions, as an active agent with opinion and criteria. This empowerment of users allows energy policies to be applied more effectively thanks to the decisions of the public, so it will be this that will drive the energy transition. For this, the information must be clear, understandable and transparent. Specifically, information and user protection are improved with regard to:
The creation of public registries that allow quick access to information.
Ensure the quality and reliability of energy supply, as well as identify users who may be in a situation of energy precariousness and provide information to companies and entities in the energy sector on how to act in these cases. These actions are accompanied by a protocol of action by the public administration if necessary to protect the user.
On the other hand, information on the social and economic importance of ecosystem services and adaptation needs in the face of future climate scenarios also allows a more approximate positioning to the climate reality of society in light of the management policies that are taken.
Participation, collaboration and cooperation mechanisms
To ensure the participation of key actors in strategic energy and climate change policies that lead us to carbon neutrality, the National Commission on Energy and Climate Change is put into operation through regulation 8 approved on February 12, 2020.
The Commission has a particularly relevant role in evaluating and monitoring the National Energy Strategy and the fight against climate change. This Commission has the participation of representatives of the Public Administration, the private sector, the third sector, professional associations, the research sector, as well as youth through the representatives of the Andorran National Youth Forum.
To broaden participation, the Commission approves the creation of the necessary working subcommittees, which evaluate the proposals and concerns of the various agents in matters that are developed or that are in operation, such as the National Mobility Strategy..
Likewise, to solve common problems and generate knowledge, cooperation is a key and especially important tool for small countries vulnerable to climate change such as Andorra. This is one of the reasons why cross-border cooperation with the closest regions, such as France and Spain, continues to be prioritized. Proof of this is the monitoring and participation in projects of the Pyrenees Working Community (CTP), such as the Pyrenean Observatory on Climate Change (OPCC) or the Medical Emergencies (EM) Observatory.
Other collaboration and cooperation mechanisms with non-transboundary regions have been in place for years, and through the capitalization and transfer of information, this cooperation allows for progress and improvement in strategies in the field of climate change. Andorra's first National Communication under the UNFCCC describes this cooperation in more detail. As an example, we have the bilateral protocols of agreement on climate change with the competent Ministry of the Government of Spain (2016) and that of the Government Costa Rica (2016), as well as on systematic climate observation with the French state meteorological agency (Météo-France) since 2012, and other multilateral agreements such as collaboration with the Ibero-American Network of Climate Change Offices.
Regarding international cooperation, it should be noted that each year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs develops a plan for development aid, which is based on the strategic, sectoral and geographic priorities of Andorra and on the 17 SDGs established by The United Nations. The strategic priorities of government cooperation are based on the following 3 main axes:
Education
Vulnerable groups
The environment and the fight against climate change, with special attention to issues related to water.
During the period 2013-2015, 12% of the total budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was allocated to cooperation projects or programs specifically focused on the environment and the fight against climate change, for the most recent period 2016-2019 will be available of data coming soon, but support for the United Nations Environment Program and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) for environmental projects has continued as in the previous period.
Andorra is also part of several international groups or alliances, such as the Group of Friends of the Mountains, which it created with Kyrgyzstan, whose priority is climate change within the framework of international organizations such as the United Nations or FAO.
Within the framework of the plan for aid to sustainable development, with regard to cooperation with Andorran NGOs, 2 projects are currently subsidized each year that prioritize environmental aspects, whether energy, optimization of water resources, etc.
No international support has been received to date for the implementation of mitigation or adaptation actions.
Andorra requested, and received in April 2013, the support of an external consultant appointed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to identify the specific circumstances of the country, the steps to be followed (documentation, deadlines, etc. ) and possible financing channels. In line with this technical assistance, in early 2014, the country submitted a financing project to the Global Environment Facility for the preparation of the first biennial report (BUR1) and the first national communication (NC1), which received no response.
Financial mechanisms
In order to carry out all the actions planned for decarbonisation towards carbon neutrality, as well as the actions necessary to ensure a good adaptation to the planned changes, a Green Fund has been created . This Fund is incorporated into the draft of the General Budgets of the
Government, and is fed by the finalist taxes that can be determined for this purpose, as well as the complementary budgetary allocations provided by the general state budget laws, as well as the donations and contributions that it receives and other possible income.
In this sense, carbon taxes will be regulated in the medium term, which will also feed into the Green Fund.
On the other hand, a voluntary carbon credit market is created, which promotes the adoption of innovative initiatives in the field of mitigation in diffuse sectors and is a support tool for organizations, entities or companies, within the framework of corporate or corporate social responsibility, since it facilitates the understanding of the carbon footprint and the adoption of policies to combat climate change in the operation of these organizations.
The objectives and mitigation measures considered for the two horizons foreseen in the main key sectors related to GHG emissions are detailed below.
| Sector | SDG | Medium term (2030) | Long-term (2050) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy |
|
Mobility | Increase the percentage of electrically powered vehicles in the national car park of passenger cars to 20%. | Increase the percentage of electrically powered vehicles in the national car park of passenger cars to 50%. |
| Halve the emissions resulting from the internal transport. | ||||
| Edification | Continue to promote the rehabilitation of homes to make them more efficient. | |||
Any building of new construction from the January 1, 2020 should be consuming almost zero energy. Incorporate an energy manager before the end of 2020. Carry out energy audits before 2022 in all heated Administration buildings. |
Placing renewable energy in all Administration buildings, thus reducing the consumption of electricity and heating in public establishments. | |||
| Electricity | Increase national electricity production to 33% of electricity demand. | Increase national electricity production to at least 50% of electricity demand. | ||
| National electricity production with more than 75% from renewable sources. | That the national electrical production comes from 80% of renewable energies, thus promoting hydro, solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy. | |||
Infrastructures necessary for the transport of energy and increasing the capacity for importing electrical energy according to the guidelines of the FEDA 2016-2026 Electric Infrastructure Master Plan. That GHG emissions are reduced by at least 32% in terms of electrical energy and a 7% reduction in thermal energy. |
||||
| Improve the energy efficiency of public lighting with regulation through regulations. | ||||
| Reduce the energy intensity a minimum of 20%. | Reduce the energy intensity a minimum of 30%. | |||
| Agriculture and land uses | |
Promote the diversification of agricultural production and the consumption of local products. | ||
|
Maintain at least the territory's sink capacity compared to 2017 (-139 Gg CO2 eq / year). | Maintain at least the sink capacity of the territory compared to the year 2017 (-139 Gg CO2 eq / year) and to promote the increase of this through projects of the voluntary market carbon and implementing actions adaptive forestry, prioritizing based measures nature. The thermal demand of local administrations should be covered primarily by biomass, which develops adaptive forestry projects that improve the yield of forest sump capacity. | ||
| Waste |  |
Have the circular economy to set measurable targets and allow the development of the Circular Economy Plan include improving the carbon footprint of the planned actions. | Advanced and revised implementation of the Circular Economy Plan. | |
As indicated in article 4 of the Paris Agreement, the NDC must show the progression with respect to the previous NDC, therefore in this document the information regarding the progression is highlighted in blue text. ↩
The UNFCCC entered into force on May 31, 2011 ↩
Unabsorbed emissions from Andorra from the third biannual update Report (BUR, 2019) and global total emissions according to the 2019 Report on the disparity in emissions of the United Nations Environment Program, Nairobi (55.3 Gt CO2 eq .) ↩
A reduction in GHG emissions that reaches the value of the country's sink capacity (approximately from 600 Gg CO2 eq to 140 Gg CO2 eq) represents a 77% reduction in GHG emissions over a 32-year period ( 2018-2050), so that the average annual reduction is 2.4%. ↩
Law 21/2018, promoting the energy transition and climate change ↩
The OPCC is a cross-border territorial cooperation initiative on climate change of the Pyrenees Working Community (CTP), which aims to monitor and understand the phenomenon of climate change in the Pyrenees to help the territory adapt to its impacts. ↩
Interreg VA Program for Territorial Cooperation between Spain, France and Andorra. ↩
Decree of 12-2-2020 approving the Regulation of internal operation and composition of the National Commission of Energy and Climate Change (CNECC) ↩
