Spain Ratifies Global Climate Change Agreement

Spain Ratifies Global Climate Change Agreement

Spain has joined the USA, China, India, Australia, and other large EU nations in ratifying the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The agreement was initially drawn up last December in the COP21 conference.

Climate change is needed everywhere for our planet to survive

Spain will look to follow the terms of the Paris Agreement and come up with ways to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius before the end of the century. Scientists have agreed that carbon emissions must be cut by up to 50% in most nations to prevent the global temperature from rising to above 2 degrees Celsius; which is considered to be the point of no return for global warming.

The Spanish Environment Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina last week revealed that they will ratify the details of the agreement as soon as possible. Many people welcomed the news as the future of the Paris Agreement was unknown following Donald Trump being elected as the next US president.

While Barack Obama pushed the American ratification of the Agreement through earlier in the year Donald Trump, who is against the idea of climate change, has threatened to rip it up.

The USA are in for now though, along with China, Germany, the UK and India; some of the biggest polluters in the world. Spain have also now joined in.

Tejerna spoke at the COP22 meeting in Morocco where she said that ratifying the agreement means that Spain will be able to take part in deciding the measures of the agreement. She said that the change had reached the point where no corporation or government could stop it, and that we would have to see how the new American administration will react.

There was one time when Spain was the global leader in renewable energy. There was a time when power from wind and solar energy accounted for 15% of the power in the nation. Since 2011 things have gone a little backwards however. Spain has since scrapped the generous subsidies that made it easy and profitable for people to install solar panels, and now there is even a controversial “sun tax”; which is when people are charged to return their solar power to the national grid.

It’s expected that this ruling could be rescinded in the new government though. Solar power is becoming cheaper to install and will only continue to get cheaper, so there is little to no need for government support.

Reciprocal Agreement with Spain likely if Brexit s confirmed: Foreign Secretary of UK

Reciprocal Agreement with Spain likely if Brexit s confirmed: Foreign Secretary of UK

With recent fears emerging that the Brits residing in Spain would have to go back to UK if majority of the voters choose so, the Foreign Secretary of UK, Phillip Hammond has said that in such conditions, UK and Spain will enter into a reciprocal agreement which will allow the foreign nationals to continue having residency in Spain and in their respective countries.

Brexit in our out

Phillip Hammond said this when he was asked a question regarding Brexit in a recent think tank event that was held in London.

The Foreign Minister appreciate this question and went ahead to answer it, giving a relief to Brits living in Spain. As of now, over two million Brits are living across different European Union countries.

Phillip also said that UK has provided a lot to EU citizens living in UK and have made sure that their stay is comfortable. On similar lines, over two million Brits live in EU nations and the largest number of them live in cities in Spain.

He said that they are planning to negotiate if there are any voting policies as such and would also try to enter into a reciprocal agreement, so that citizens living in different countries are left undisturbed.

As of now, nothing is in their plate regarding the plan of action after Brexit and said that there is a two year transition period before UK becomes totally independent of EU.

Post Brexit

If people of UK decide on June 23^rd to leave EU, it will just be the beginning of the process and not the end; as treaties with mandates of two years are less likely to be enforced within such a short span. However, if the Brits decide to relocate, the British Government will do the needful and serve a notice to the EU to start with further round of negotiations.

We personally believe that if Britain decides to leave the EU it will hardy affect residents in Spain when it comes to buying or selling in the Costa del Sol,. Spain would do everything in their powers to make trade agreements with the UK by making sure that the British don’t leave.

To give a good example that all will be well you only have to look at Norway who is a non EU member and Norwegians buy property in southern Spain in there droves and do not have any problems that is being suggested by the British government if a no vote takes effect.

There maybe a little more paperwork, and the pound may drop for a few years, but it will come back. Spain will always be the Brits number one holiday and expat destination, Why! Very simple because the sun will always shine and the Spanish people are the most friendly and family orientated nation in Europe and we are welcome.

Stay in Europe or  vote out of Europe Life is SOOOO much better in Flip Flops.