The reduction in emissions achieved in all municipal buildings, facilities and vehicles has been awarded with this recognition
Benidorm has registered its carbon footprint and has been granted the right to use the CO2 seal
The resolution of Benidorm City Council is to further reduce emissions; 20% more by 2030
Benidorm has registered its footprint in the Carbon Footprint Registry, compensation and CO2 absorption projects of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and received the corresponding accreditation with the communication of the right to use the CO2 Calculo - Compensa - Reduzco seal , signed by the general director of the Spanish Office for Climate Change, Valvanera Ulargui.
In 2020, Benidorm entered the selection of cities to be analyzed by virtue of the European provisions on the calculation of the carbon footprint by having a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) that includes both the municipal scope itself and the urban development of the city and its actions and interactions related to circulation and traffic that are based on mobility policies in which this City Council also influences.
Together with SEAP and the emissions inventory, Benidorm has subsequently developed a more advanced phase, the Action Plan on Climate and Sustainable Energies (PACES), which has confirmed the reduction of emissions that have exceeded 475,000 tons of CO2 annual to the current computed of 360,000 tons. This has been due to the introduction of natural gas in Benidorm, which means fewer emissions, to the new measures implemented for pedestrianization and speed reduction in different sections of the urban area.
One of the most decisive measures for this recognition of energy efficiency has found its basis in the energy saving policy developed by Benidorm City Council, which has achieved a 40% reduction in electricity spending. In addition, Benidorm buys certified green energy for 100% of its needs in public lighting and consumption in municipal buildings. Along with this, the commitment to hybrid vehicles and, mainly, electric vehicles destined for the fleet of the City Council's Technical Services. The purchase of this certified green energy is carried out through the Central Purchasing Office of the Alicante Provincial Council.
The resolution of the Government team of Benidorm City Council is to further reduce its emissions compared to the first PACES inventory, maintaining the commitment to reduce by 2030 a further 20%.
To comply with these premises, the city council will continue its program of making pedestrian streets and roads with no sidewalks seeking to improve the circulation system, also promoting the implementation of electric vehicles and improving efficiency with renewables "
This seal was born with a double purpose: to show that it has been registered and reflects the effort undertaken against climate change. And it is exhibited because reduction commitments have been defined whose calculations have been validated by MAGRAMA.
Benidorm directs all its management towards the greatest possible sustainability and advance in the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 13: Climate Action.
This is where the Municipal Plan of Action against Climate Change is framed, which will be presented in September and which has already been concluded, focused on legislative checks.
The Department of Beaches of Benidorm City Council already had the ‘Calculo + Reduzco’ level Seal of 2018 Carbon Footprint, having reduced CO2 emissions by about 2% in the three beaches and two coves of the city.
The Registry where Benidorm is registered has been in operation since May 2014. As of 12/31/2020, 3,616 requests for registration had been received in section A. It is voluntary, it includes the efforts of Spanish companies, administrations and organizations in the calculation , reduction and compensation of greenhouse gas emissions generated by its activity. All registered prints are compulsorily accompanied by a reduction plan, and are checked prior to registration. When it is recognized that an organization has reduced its footprint, says the ministry, it is because it meets a strict criterion that shows a decreasing trend in emissions. To recognize compensation under the Registry, it is necessary that the tons of CO2 acquired come from projects registered in it.