ACCIONA Magazine 73: COP25 Special Edition

#TimeforAction
DON’T
CALL IT
CHANGE,
CALL IT
CLIMATE
EMERGENCY
TICK
TOCK
TICK
TOCK
N.73 DECEMBER 2019
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C O P 2 5
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4
SUMMARY
NEWS
THE LATEST
AT ACCIONA
Acquisition of a
3,000 MW PV solar portfolio in the
USA,theworld’sbiggest3Dprinter,and
expansionoftheLightatHomeprogram.
08
06IN NUMBERS
Helping to tackle the major
challenge of achieving a fairer,
more sustainable world with
less poverty.
THE UNITED
NATIONS
SDGS
10SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
It’s one of the world’s most acclaimed multinationals, having won a slew of awards for its
cross-cutting sustainability policy. A map of solutions with positive impacts —both social
and environmental— in all business areas.
TO BE A SOLUTION,
IT HAS TO BE SUSTAINABLE
Published by:
Department of Corporate Image and Global Marketing.
ACCIONA, S.A.
Avda. de Europa, 18.
P. E. La Moraleja. 28108 Alcobendas.
Madrid. Tel.: +34 91 663 2287
Email:
Elisa Baños: elisa.banos.yague@acciona.com
Design and Production:
La Factoría, Prisa Revistas.
National publication no.:
M-35.445-1997.
The paper used for this
magazine is chlorine-free
and comes from sustainable
forests. The FSC Certiﬁcation,
awarded by the Forest
Stewardship Council, ensures
that forests are managed
responsibly and that paper is
traceable, with a veriﬁable chain
of custody throughout the
process of transforming and
manufacturing the product.
TWITTER FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
Follow us on
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5
AMBASSADORS
Four prominent professionals
committed to sustainable
values: Marc Gasol, Karla Souza,
Amaro Gómez-Pablos,
and David Pocock.
JOIN US AND
INVEST IN
THE PLANET
26
Nº 73 December 2019
BUSINESS
ACTIVISM
Since 2009, it hasn’t
missed a single session
of the Conference of the
Parties. An overview of
proactivity in the form of
proposals, commitments and
awareness-raising.
ACCIONA’S
PRESENCE
AT THE COP20
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6
IN NUMBERS
How ACCIONA is
investing in the planet
AccordingtotheUN,businessesmustplay
aleadingroleinachievingtheSustainable
DevelopmentGoalstoﬁghtagainstclimate
emergencysituations,extremepoverty,
inequalityandinjustice.ACCIONAcontributes
directlytotheSDGsthroughitssustainability
strategy,itscommitmenttotheeconomic,
environmentalandsocialdevelopmentofthe
communitiesitserves,andthroughthevalue
thatitslinesofbusinessbringtothenew“green
economy”(asdescribedintheUnitedNations
EnvironmentProgram).
Herearesomeindicatorsfrom2018.
13,7M.€
in contributions
to communities.
5 M.
people have
beneﬁted
38%of the company’s
global sales and
69%of its EBITDA
came from activities
related to renewable
energy, water and
other environmental
activities
More than
Nearly
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7
IN NUMBERS
ACCESSTOBASIC
SERVICES
Throughtheacciona.orgFoundation:
•50,100 beneficiaries
•19 Light at Home centers
•12,135 photovoltaic systems
Installed in Peru, Mexico, Panama
and Ethiopia
SOCIALINVESTMENT
THROUGH
PROJECTS
•850,158beneficiaries
•584 projects in 22 countries,
including Mexico, Chile
and Brazil, Peru, Ecuador,
Colombia, South Africa, India,
Australia, Norway, Canada,
Costa Rica, Portugal, Poland,
United Arab Emirates and
Denmark
•15partnerorganizations
VOLUNTEER
PROGRAMS
•1,536 volunteers in
20 countries
•11,433 hours dedicated
to community work
•44 social projects
SPONSORSHIP
In health, education and culture:
•246,590 beneficiaries
•Pro-CNIC Foundation
(Spain), WaterAid Foundation
(Australia), BEST Foundation
(Mexico), Princess of Girona
Foundation (Spain), Princess
of Asturias Foundation
(Spain), among others
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8
NEWS
ThatistheannualprocessingcapacityoftheNESS
Energyplantthatwillbedesigned,built,operatedand
maintainedbyACCIONA(overthelifeofa20-year
contract)intheScottishcityofAberdeen.Thewaste
inquestionisparticularlyhazardous,asitcan’tbe
recycledforotheruses.Thevalueoftransformingitinto
cleanenergyisthustwofold,offeringtheaddedbenefit
ofsustainabilityforthewaste-producingmunicipalities
(AberdeenCity,AberdeenshireandMoray).Theproject
alsoanticipateslegislationthatwillbanbiodegradable
wastefromgoingtolandfillinScotlandfrom2021on.
ThisnewWaste-to-Energyprojectbythecompany
hasabudgetof400millioneuros.
Theacquisitionincludesadevelopmentportfolioof20projects—
previouslyownedbyAmericancompanyTenaska—inthestatesof
Pennsylvania,Ohio,Kentucky,Illinois,Kansas,OklahomaandMissouri,
aswellas1,000MWofbatterystoragewhichwillenableimproved
timemanagementandopenthedoortoexploringapotentialmarket
ofstorage-relatedtechnologiesandservicesprovidedbyACCIONA.
“It’sanexcellentopportunityforACCIONAtoincreaseour
commitmenttorenewableenergyandsustainabilityintheUnited
Statesthroughphotovoltaicandenergystoragetechnology,afterthe
investmentswehavealreadymadeinwindpower,”explainsRafael
Esteban,DirectorofEnergybusinessforACCIONAinNorthAmerica.
“Weareexcitedtojoinforces,”saysSteveJohnson,seniorvice
presidentofthesubsidiaryTenaskaSolarVentures,“pairingour
extensiveexpertiseindevelopmentwiththeiroriginationand
constructioncapabilities.”
ACCIONAexpectseightofthetwentyprojectstobeoperationalbylate
2023,addingroughly1,500MWofpeakcapacity(some1,200ofrated
capacity)toitsrenewableenergyportfolioinNorthAmerica,which
alreadyincludes1,245MWofwindpowerinstalledandunderconstruction
aswellas64MWofsolarthermalpowerunderthecompany’sownership.
150 KILOTONS OF URBAN WASTE TURNED INTO CLEAN ENERGY
ACCIONA PLANS TO HAVE 40% OF THIS CAPACITY INSTALLED BY 2023
PURCHASE OF 3,000 MW OF
SOLAR PV PROJECTS IN THE USA
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9
NEW HIGHWAY OVER
ROSKILDE FJORD IN DENMARK
Theprojectinvolvedthedesignand
constructionofafour-lane,8.2kmtoll
highwaywitha1.36kmbridgeoverthe
fjord,betweenthetownsofMarbaekvej
andTorslevHage.Thestructure,theﬁrst
segmentalbridgebuiltinthecountrysince
1970,has17spansandissupportedby
52pilesupto50meterslong.Ittook34
monthstocomplete,threelongerthan
planned.The€133millionprojectwas
fundedbyACCIONAanditspartners,Besix
andRizzanideEccher,whohadtocomply
withexactingsocialandenvironmental
criteriaasthehighwayrunsthroughseveral
protectedareas,oneofwhichispartofthe
EU’sNatura2000network.
Since its creation, the foundation
acciona.org has remained
committed to its aim: leveraging
the group’s expertise to facilitate
access to energy, water and
sanitation services for very
low-income families in rural areas
that are remote or cut off from
infrastructure, with no plans to
extend it to the area. To this end, it
contributes to the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals in a number
of ways.
Its Light at Home program has
already done so with the installation
of state-of-the-art PV solar panels
in homes, and by supporting small
local businesses which maintain
the systems and sell and repair
equipment. In addition to enabling
families to break free of their
dependence on dangerous kerosene
lamps, it also provides them with
better light for working, reading, and
studying at night.
It is currently broadening its scope
of action to bring electricity to
14,000 people (2,850 homes) who
live along rivers such as the Napo
and the Ucayali in the Peruvian
Amazonian Basin, in small villages
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca,
and in indigenous Ngäbe and Buglé
communities in Panama. By the
beginning of 2020, it will benefit
65,000 people in total.
THE WORLD’S
BIGGEST 3D PRINTER
ACCIONA has opened a global 3D printing
center in Dubai featuring the world’s
largest 3D printer —6x3x2 meters— with
Powder Bed additive manufacturing
technology, which creates structures by
printing successive layers of concrete.
Among other advantages, it improves
automation of building processes,
uses less energy, saves raw material,
generates less waste, enables design
options that would be impossible with
conventional construction methods and
can produce exact replicas of art and
architectural works.
LIGHT AT HOME IN PERU, MEXICO, PANAMA
THE FOUNDATION ACCIONA.ORG
BRINGS BASIC ELECTRICITY
SERVICES TO 65,000 PEOPLE
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10
IF THEY ’RE SOLUTIONS
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BY DEFINITION,
THE FORMER
TERM MUST
ENCOMPASS THE
LATTER: TO BE A
SOLUTION TO THE
ENVIRONMENTAL
CHALLENGES WE
FACE, IT HAS TO
BE SUSTAINABLE.
IN THIS REGARD,
ACCIONA IS
FURTHERING
THE CAUSE WITH
ITS STRATEGIC
VISION, IN EVERY
ONE OF ITS
PROCESSES AND
BUSINESSES.
by
Juan Pablo Zurdo
THEY ’RE SUSTAINABLE
11

12
T
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
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Previous photo, page 10:
Palomares del Río WWTP
(Seville). On the right, El Cortijo
wind farm (Mexico).

13
CHALLENGES SOLUTIONS
THE ETERNAL SOURCE
Contributing to the transition
to an economy fueled
by green, inexhaustible,
affordable and universally
accessible energy sources as
one of the pillars of global
decarbonization.
Constant innovation in
engineering, construction,
generation, operation,
maintenance, and energy
management.
“Today we are the biggest global energy operator focused exclu-
sively on renewable energy,” says Rafael Mateo. “It’s a strategic
position, because the wind and solar capacity installed world-
wide will increase tenfold by 2050, coming to account for 80% of
the electricity sector’s global investment.”
The company is launching a specific sustainability-focused inno-
vation program called Innovability. “This year alone, we’ll invest
60 million euros in innovation and 2.5 million in social programs
with over 70,000 direct beneficiaries and 250,000 indirect
beneficiaries,” adds Mikel Ortiz de Latierro, Director of Quality,
Safety and Environment in ACCIONA’s Energy division.
The solutions are applied throughout the business. For instance,
smart maintenance based on big data and machine learning to
maximize facilities’ operating life. This great big digital brain,
which is active 24/7 at the Renewable Energy Control Center,
encompasses the Greenchain 2.0 platform, which uses block-
chain technology to certify energy as having renewable origins
for customers.
The company is also carrying out the world’s first solar/wind hy-
brid power pilot project with carbon-based PV panels attached to
wind turbine towers. It is also optimizing battery storage to trans-
port energy across time and space, and applying technologies that
reduce facilities’ acoustic impact, among other initiatives.
1
2

14
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
SOLUTIONS
A comprehensive, overall vision is a framework solution in infras-
tructure development, as it “assesses all of the impacts, maximizes
the social value created by the money, builds according to stringent
environmental standards, minimizes emissions and is integrated
into the circular economy,” explains Castilla.
For example, systematic planning like that of the Self-Performing
Office model applied to highway, bridge, subway, railroad tunnel or
hydroelectric dam megaprojects. Analyses are aimed at keeping it all
in house, and they optimize processes and the use of resources, wor-
kers, and material. We might build a beam launcher, for instance, or
manufacture concrete on site to save energy and reduce the budget
and emissions.
In water management, population growth and concentration and
the effects of climate change are threatening the supply of good qua-
lity water. Rainy areas like Galicia face restrictions for the first time,
and areas of traditional scarcity such as Murcia are seeing severe
cyclical floods.
With respect to R&D, the company is leading the way in state-of-
the-art membranes for desalination by reverse osmosis, in biolo-
gical reactors for wastewater treatment, and in supply models that
minimize the water required for industrial use and recycle it for the
purpose of watering crops.
THE FOUNDATION THAT
SUSTAINS SUSTAINABILITY
According to the UN, at least 7 of every 10 euros invested in
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals should be invested in
infrastructure.
“The paradigm we work in is directly opposed to that which tends
toward excess and lacks a vision for the future or real concern for
social needs,” says Luis Castilla, CEO of ACCIONA’s Infrastructure
division.
1
CHALLENGES
2

15
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
But the solution with a capital S, according to José Díaz-Caneja,
General Manager of ACCIONA’s Water business, is “a big leap in the
scale of projects which could enable an inexhaustible supply. This
optimizes investment, beneﬁts many more people and fosters our
comprehensive management model: capturing water, treating it,
distributing it, collecting it after it has been used, purifying it, and
returning it to the environment in the best possible state.”
“New technologies for digitalization and control of production pro-
cesses — says Huberto Moreno, General Manager of the Construc-
tion division— enable us to improve their efficiency, incorporate
secondary raw materials with lower embodied energy, or create new
circular economy models. To this end, we have our own technology
center, which meets real business needs.”
In-house innovation specializes in the use of lower-impact raw
materials, longer-lasting materials with lower maintenance requi-
rements to extend structures’ useful life and integrity. It selects
machinery that improves processes and their traceability, and prio-
ritizes the use of green energy and less polluting machines.
Examples of recycling and circular economy include the over 86,000
tons of granite —Padornelo Tunnel, Spain— used for pavement, and
the ash from the paper industry that has replaced cement in the
PaperChain project, which is part of the Horizon 2020 Program.
For his part, Ramón Jiménez, General Manager of ACCIONA’s Indus-
trial business, points to the synergy in “renewable energy generation
projects to power industrial facilities and the management of solid
urban waste, which is of strategic importance given the concentra-
tion of the population in cities.”
The company is developing pioneering projects like the Ness Ener-
gy Project (Scotland) to turn 150 kilotons of non-recyclable urban
waste into electricity. On an even larger scale, the Kwinana WTE
plant, sister facility to the Ness, will be able to process 400 kilotons
of waste per year in Perth, Australia.
“The Kathu solar thermal plant (South Africa) is another prime
example of a positive social impact,” says Ramón Jiménez. “Six
million tons of emissions into the atmosphere prevented each year,
over 5,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs, specialized training
to transfer knowledge to local professionals, and training on small-
business development and waste recycling.” For its part, Reynosa
wind farm in Mexico has focused on protecting biodiversity, and
has rescued more than 2,700 and 48,300 specimens of endangered
animal and plant species, respectively.
Lai Chi Kok Viaduct (Hong
Kong). Recycled concrete was
used in landﬁll work.

16
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
SOLUTIONS
CIVIC CIVILIZATION
Two of every three humans will live in cities by 2050. This is no
surprise. In Europe 7.3 of every 10 already do.
Conclusion: the sustainability of our world is synonymous
with the sustainability of our cities. Today, the urban and
demographic growth of many cities poses a problem, but it
could become a solution.
First duty in any smart city: clean, shared transportation.
ACCIONA’s mobility service has deployed a fleet of zero-emission
scooters in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, and Lisbon. This
service promotes multimodal transportation and can be coordi-
nated with other municipal mobility systems and platforms.
“We still need coordination between governments and indus-
try, as well as green taxes, but we’re making progress and elec-
tric vehicles are essential to achieving full decarbonization of
transportation by 2050, with the vital contribution of renewable
energy,” explains Isabel Reija, President of the Spanish Business
Association for Development and Promotion of Electric Vehicles
(AEDIVE).
Second duty: sustainable buildings. Extending legislation on
emissions to other sectors: water and energy efficiency, biocli-
matic architecture, non-polluting materials, recycling and waste
management...
1
2
CHALLENGES
Eco-efficient office complex
in Zaragoza.

17
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

18
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
“We spend all day talking about emissions associated with trans-
portation, yet buildings consume 40% of our energy and natural
resources, 20% of our water, and emit a third of all greenhouse
gases. On average, the sale value of sustainable homes appreciates
by 17%, and the retail value by 30%. And they cut maintenance
costs by 30%. They are a responsible choice, as well as an inves-
tment,” explains Andrés Pan de Soraluce, Director of ACCIONA’s
Inmobiliaria business.
In short, understanding the city as a human community organized
around a community of services. But also, as a carbon sink and an
air ﬁlter. Specialized urban ecosystem management, use of zero-
emission machinery in urban green spaces… all of these solutions
are elements of the specialized knowledge that ACCIONA applies
to care for cities’ green lungs, like the eight historic parks it looks
after in Madrid.
URBAN
ECOSYSTEMS
CAN ACT AS
BARRIERS TO
DESERTIFICATION,
CO2
SINKS, AND
AIR FILTERS

19
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
19
PARTOFTHE
SOLUTION
ACCIONA has garnered recognition
for achieving the highest score
in the environmental dimension
of the Dow Jones Sustainability
Index, for being one of the 100
most sustainable companies in the
world (Corporate Nights), for its
top marks in sustainable climate
and water management (CDP and
Global Water Intelligence), and as
the greenest power generation
company on the planet (New
Energy Top 100 Green Utilities, by
Energy Intelligence), in addition to
receiving rewards for diversity and
inclusion, social and environmental
responsibility, good governance,
and sustainable infrastructure.

20
ENTREVISTA
20
A
MULTINATIONAL
ATTHE COP
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2121
by Patricia Alcorta
BRIDGING THE GAP
BETWEEN WORDS AND
ACTION. PUSHING FOR
COMPLIANCE WITH
CLIMATE AGREEMENTS.
SUGGESTING HOW,
NOT JUST EXPLAINING
WHY. ACCIONA AT THE
CONFERENCE OF THE
PARTIES (COP), A FORM OF
CONSTRUCTIVE ACTIVISM
THAT COMPLEMENTS
SOCIAL AWARENESS.

22
It happened almost fifteen years ago, in 2005, one year after the
company’s current CEO, José Manuel Entrecanales, took over. At the
time, sustainability was more of a theory than what it has become
today: an ethical duty and an excellent business opportunity.
ACCIONA blazed a trail again in 2009, as the first Spanish company
on the management committee of the Corporate Leaders Group for
Climate Change.
Since then it has had a presence in all of the major international cli-
mate change forums, particularly the sessions of the Conference of
the Parties (COP). This participation reflects what Entrecanales calls
“the other activism, business activism.” It includes making spe-
cific proposals based on scientific studies and internal know-how,
which have continually insisted on the need for progress in key areas
such as a global decarbonization plan and binding
climate agreements, among others. Success has
been spotty, with the former enjoying more than
the latter, and this very insistence attests to how
resistant some are to committing to change.
These are some of the milestones along the way.
COP15. Copenhagen 2009
The company went to the heart of the matter,
calling for agreements to include binding tar-
gets with specific tools to cut emissions, as well
as scientific targets adapted to individual coun-
tries but global in scope, financing, political
IWAS THE FIRST COMPANY LISTED
IION THE IBEX35 EXCHANGE TO JOIN
IIHE WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL
IIOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.II
ACCIONA’s
Chairman and
CEO, José Manuel
Entrecanales
(center), during the
COP in Paris.

23
backing, and dissuasive measures for those in
breach. It demanded a credible measurement
and verification system, profitability incentives
for sustainable projects, and a stable and secure
legislative framework to promote private decar-
bonization initiatives.
In parallel, it set out to raise awareness: it
launched the global sustainable development
campaign Re_ and amplified the social voice by
screening over 1,400 citizen testimonies in mul-
timedia venues, offering ideas on how to contain
climate change.
COP16. Cancun 2010
As part of the Corporate Leaders Group for
Climate Change, ACCIONA proposed specif-
ic agreements to be fostered with regulations,
funding and target plans in key areas: energy
efficiency in construction, transport and indus-
try, low-carbon energy systems for these same
sectors, financial aid for CO2
and other GHG
capture and storage technologies (methane,
nitrogen oxide, F gases, black carbon, etc.), and
agreements on how to reduce emissions in urban
and rural land management.
COP19. Durban 2011
ACCIONA put its weight behind a manifesto call-
ing for joint action issued by 185 major compa-
nies: the 2° Challenge Communiqué. “The win-
dow to stabilise global warming to less than 2°C
has almost closed. Without [a robust] agreement,
business lacks the clarity and certainty needed
to invest to its fullest potential.” Governments
have a duty to foster measures such as effective
adaptation programs, aid to companies and con-
sumers to encourage them to change, specific
laws, R&D funding, and reforestation and con-
servation of wooded areas.
COP18. Doha 2012
ACCIONA and 99 other companies present-
ed the Carbon Price Communiqué, calling on
the European Commission to set a clear carbon
emission tariff framework that would be part of
the EU’s national policy responses. The aim: to
gradually extend it to the rest of the global econ-
omy, providing sufficient incentives to keep pace
with global warming. “We believe that the cer-
tainty created by this policy framework and the
investment it will unlock offers the prospect of
The presence
of women
in working
groups and
delegations
from develo-
ping countries
has grown at
recent ses-
sions of the
COP.

24
BUSINESS ACTIVISM
ing. It noted that some of the energy sector was
doing its part, having increased renewable energy
investment by 27 billion dollars the previous year.
“The voice of business is clear; we have the vision,
the commitment, and the technology to usher in
a new era of low-carbon prosperity,” said José
Manuel Entrecanales.
COP21. Paris 2015
At the session that gave rise to the Paris Agreement,
the company highlighted its progress with invest-
ment in renewables, water stress reduction, and
clean energy generation in remote areas, as well as
its commitment to blazing a trail in all of its sectors
by reaching carbon-neutrality. It was among the
first companies in the world to take on this chal-
lenge, and it achieved its goal the following year.
It proposed a minimum requirement plan to cut
GHG emissions by 40% to 70%, which included
regular country-by-country review mechanisms.
Aiming to start a ripple effect, it described the
business opportunities opened up by decarboniza-
tion. That year it was one of the first in the sector to
endorse the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
It sponsored the artistic installation Climatesaurus,
a gigantic creature made from plastic caps that trav-
elled to several locations in Paris. It also presented
the first fully electric car to compete in rallies such
as Dakar, and sponsored the Future Energy Forum.
COP22. Marrakesh 2016
ACCIONA presented the Sustainability Mas-
ter Plan 2020, which aims to improve the social
impact of all of its projects and drive investment
in climate innovation, integrated water manage-
ment, and good governance, in addition to reduc-
ing environmental risk in the value chain.
In the year between the previous COP and this
one, it took part in joint projects with the biggest
international sustainability organizations, such
as the Carbon Disclosure Project, the Corporate
Leaders Group, and Caring for Climate.
In the forum, it reaffirmed its commitment to all
of the aims of the Paris Agreement, which had
just entered into force, and once again offered
specific proposals for the establishment of global
increased business success and job creation in key
sectors including energy, transport, and the built
environment,” they said in the Communiqué.
COP19. Warsaw 2013
Along with seven other major European energy
companies (with sales revenue in excess of 250
billion euros in over 70 countries at the time),
ACCIONA called for “an independent, stable and
predictable regulatory framework” to ensure a
share of renewables in the energy mix of at least
30% by 2030. “It will contribute to competitive-
ness, innovation, technological leadership, and
job creation in Europe. It will reduce the ener-
gy bill, the continent’s energy dependence [53%
that year, forecast to rise to 80% by 2035], and
contribute to a clean, reliable, low-cost supply of
energy for citizens and industries.”
COP20. Lima 2014
As a member of ten of the world’s most important
business associations, ACCIONA proposed the first
medium- and long-term legal, fiscal and finan-
cial framework to the G20, to genuinely foster the
low-carbon economy and reach zero net emis-
sions by the end of the century, and for reviews
of national commitments to be performed every
5 years to prevent efforts from coming to noth-
Presentation
by Leonardo
DiCaprio at
the COP in the
French capital,
which gave
rise to the Par-
is Agreement.
The actor was
named a UN
Messenger of
Peace with a
special focus
on climate
change.

25
BUSINESS ACTIVISM
carbon prices, concrete measures to electrify key
sectors such as industry and transport, and for
gradual elimination of fossil fuel subsidies. It also
presented its contributions to the Sustainable
Development Goals.
COP23. Bonn 2017
The company described how it had achieved car-
bon-neutrality with its model of emission reduc-
tion and offsetting. “We want the efficiency it has
shown to encourage many more companies to
join in,” said Joaquín Mollinedo, General Direc-
tor of Institutional Relations, Sustainability and
Brand. The company reiterated the need to set a
dissuasive pricing scheme for CO2
emission rights.
It asked the summit to harmonize procedures for
evaluating the implementation of the Paris Agree-
ment, and presented its experiences with sustain-
able roads and infrastructure, aimed at contribut-
ing towards these goals in the area of transport.
COP24. Katowice 2018
Transparent measurement and control of the Paris
Agreement, making its measures more binding,
carbon pricing... ACCIONA insisted repeatedly on
these aims, which have progressed at an uneven
pace from one COP to the next. In light of this,
it called for greater participation in civil society
by NGOs that would complement political action
and bring pressure to bear. It proposed that spe-
cific emission reduction targets for 2030 be set in
line with the Science Based Targets initiative, and,
as part of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders,
it endorsed business demands such as fostering
education and influencing societal demand for
low-carbon solutions. It took part in the Ambi-
tion Loop Report, providing specific reforestation,
electricity, and transport examples to inspire oth-
er companies and countries to emulate them.
Some 25,000
people are
expected to
attend the
COP25. It
will be held in
Madrid from
December
2-13.
ACCIONA BLAZED
A TRAIL IN ALL OF
ITS SECTORS AS
ONE OF THE FIRST
COMPANIES IN
THE WORLD TO
ACHIEVE CARBON-
NEUTRALITY
COP25. MADRID
This year’s COP will push for a reboot on several fronts:
emergency adaptation and resilience measures to combat
the effects of climate change; stepping up efforts with
respect to agreements to contain it, which have so far
proved insufficient; and obtaining emission-reduction
commitments from more countries. ACCIONA will have a
special role at this session. Not only is it headquartered in
Spain, it also has projects all over the country, in all of its
lines of business. Its presence at the conference in Chile
—another of its key markets— was also viewed as strate-
gic before the change of venue. Despite this change, the
Andean country will retain a central role, as it will still hold
the presidency of the COP in Madrid and it is committed to
becoming a benchmark for sustainability in Latin America.

2726
AMBASSADORS AMBASSADORS
Barcelona, 1985. The press sang his praises when he
won the 2019 NBA Finals with the Toronto Raptors.
With Spain’s national team, Marc has also been a
world champion, a two-time European champion
and a two-time Olympic silver medalist. His current
coach, Nick Nurse, says he loves discussing any topic
with him and admires his concern and the empathy
he shows through his support for the NGO Proactiva
Open Arms and for the environment. His children,
Julia (2014) and Luca (2017), have further cemented
this commitment.
Mexico City, 1985. She studied theater in Paris,
Moscow and London while handing out advertising
material in the street, working as a waitress and over-
coming crises, like when she lost her voice for months.
She began on the telenovela circuit, but it was in the
movie industry that her sense of comedy and romance
truly shone. Not only has she starred in three of her
country’s biggest blockbusters, she has also found
success in the USA. It’s always been clear to her that
helping others and personal growth come first. That
explains her activism, whether for causes like the
Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment or
offering aid to victims of natural disasters.
He was born in Madrid in 1967, but has lived in Chile for
the past three decades and is one of the country’s most
popular TV presenters. He won the King of Spain Inter-
national Journalism Award for his report on Guantánamo
and the CIA’s secret prisons, and Chilean audiences chose
his coverage of the 2010 earthquake the best in the coun-
try. He has also covered wars in the Balkans, Afghanistan
and Iraq and traveled around the world as a reporter for
CNN. All of this experience has led to a firm conviction:
the environment and the planet’s health are the most
important headlines in his life.
Born in Zimbabwe in 1988, he arrived in Australia after
his family was forced to leave the farm where they
worked. He’s a fighter, and not just as a member of
Australia’s national rugby team. Even more of an acti-
vist than he is an athlete (“There are things in life more
important than chasing a ball,”) he married his best
friend but they decided not to register the union until
gay marriage had been legalized in the country. He
chained himself up for 10 hours in front of a coal mine,
and his support for clean and sustainable energy has
remained constant.
MARC GASOL KARLA SOUZA AMARO GÓMEZ-PABLOS DAVID POCOCK
“WATER IS LIFE, WHICH IS
WHY FOR YEARS I’VE BEEN
COMMITTED TO CARING
FOR AND PROTECTING
OUR OCEANS. I ALSO HELP
INSTALL SOLAR PANELS
TO PROVIDE CLEAN AND
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY.”
“I AM ACTIVELY COMMITTED
TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
MASS PRODUCTION OF
PLASTIC AND CO2 EMISSIONS
WORRY ME. THAT’S WHY I
HELP RAISE AWARENESS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND
I SUPPORT RENEWABLE
ENERGY.”
“ I ’ M W O R R I E D A B O U T T H E
P L A N E T, D E F O R E S TAT I O N
O F H A B I TAT S , T H E
F U T U R E . F O R Y E A R S
I ’ V E S U P P O R T E D
I N I T I AT I V E S T O
C O N S E R V E A N D P R O T E C T
T H E E N V I R O N M E N T
A N D D E V E L O P L O C A L
C O M M U N I T I E S . ”
A joint appeal from four film, sports and journalism superstars worried about climate change: “Join us and invest in the planet.” They are ambassadors for
ACCIONA’s message of sustainability in countries of strategic importance for the company: Australia, Chile, the United States, Mexico, and Spain.
“ W H E N YO U H AV E
C H I L D R E N , YO U S TA R T
TO T H I N K A B O U T T H E I R
F U T U R E A N D YO U
R E F L E C T O N W H AT
W E ’ R E D O I N G TO L E AV E
B E H I N D A P L A N E T F O R
T H E M T H AT ’ S T H E S A M E ,
I F N OT B E T T E R , T H A N
T H E O N E W E F O U N D.”
#investintheplanet

COUNTDOWN
TO SAVE THE
PLANET
COP
25
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C O P 2 5
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4
EDITORI
Editorial
not wait for the climate emergency to wor-
sen to the point that it overcomes our ability
to respond. The only positive effect of this
emergency, so to speak, is that the level of
awareness of and participation in this issue
could take a qualitative leap despite forego-
ne conclusions.
The COP25 will be an occasion to review the
measures, objectives and deadlines of major
international agreements; to confirm that
the effects of global warming are even more
severe than science has predicted; that we’re
late in this race against time and that the
future of our civilization is at stake if selfish-
nessendsuptakingprecedenceoverrespon-
sibility and common sense.
We know the strategy. We’re implemen-
ting it and it works, but it must be stren-
gthened in order to decarbonize the planet
to a greater and better degree. To that end,
we must switch to clean energy, invest in
sustainable technology, establish a system
of carbon prices, make the measures sig-
ned in the agreements binding, strengthen
national and international legislation, and
adapt to climate disasters that are already
here and are irreversible. We must stren-
gthen the resilience of the most vulnerable
communities and make significant chan-
ges in our lifestyles.
We also need leadership that addresses pla-
netary problems rather than local partisans-
hip and electoral short-termism; leadership
that is receptive to the demands of a growing
A
t every great crossroads we’re
inevitably filled with doubt,
even a sense of paralysis as to the
magnitude of effort required.
But it’s also inevitable to take
action when we know that stan-
ding still is not an option. At this
point, the most critical factor is the level of
consensus and determination we can gene-
rate before it’s too late.
The greatest crossroads we’ve faced never
involve this dilemma. Doubts, paralysis,
denial in some resistant sectors, but also a
determination to act based on the certainty
about what needs to be done. Currently, the
most important element to tackle climate
change with a realistic chance of slowing
it down is to make this determination grow
and spread with enough speed and intensi-
ty to achieve the objectives outlined in the
Paris Agreement.
The bad news is obvious: the adopted mea-
sures are being implemented far too slowly.
The good news is that we have the techni-
cal, economic and political means to rever-
se this trend. We cannot be overcome by
resignation if these measures guarantee an
enormous opportunity for economic growth
and social progress — the transformation
towardsacarbon-neutraleconomy—which
is necessary to avoid disaster.
Here we are standing at the crossroads, at
the 25th edition of the United Nations Con-
ference of the Parties, insisting that we can-
Determined to rise to the challenge
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C O P 2 5
5
RIALpart of society which is increasingly indig-
nant towards inaction and which can make
a difference through votes, consumer spen-
ding and protests.
We must take part in this new wave of com-
panies, institutions and associations that not
only fulfills but exceeds its share of respon-
sibility. In this respect, there’s a particular
need for business activism: for companies
that are the most capable social agents to
undertake enormous investments in inno-
vation,infrastructureandknowledgemana-
gement — and that can mobilize an army of
qualified professionals.
According to the UN, the world needs
between five and seven trillion dollars a
year to finance the Sustainable Develo-
pment Goals, 72% of which rely on the
installment of suitable infrastructures.
Such an effort undoubtedly requires the
support of society as a whole. However,
at the current rate, the investment pro-
jected for the next decade shows that we
are 25% short of reaching our target. This
is a significant shortfall, but it’s attainable
if we’re determined enough to take it on.
And we can apply this resolve to all clima-
te commitments.
If we’ve achieved some of the objectives, if
we have the resources and technology to do
more, if by not doing so we’ll face infinitely
more serious consequences — practically
suicidal — is there any justifiable reason not
to rise to the challenge?
SUMMARY
This is
your home
TheplanetEarth.A
livinghomethat’s
sufferingthefever
ofglobalwarming.
Tohealitistosave
ourselves.
06
25 years
of the COP
Anoverviewofthe
sessionsofthe
Conferenceofthe
Parties,aspartof
thefightagainst
climatechange.
Theirvictoriesand
thebarriersthat
hinderafaster,more
efficientresponse.
Insufficient,
perhaps,but
indispensable.
08
The climate
challenge
The big challenge
is adapting to
the irreversible
effects we are
already facing,
and complying
with agreements
to prevent them
from getting much
worse. A look at
technological,
economic, and
political solutions
to make it happen.
18
Antarctic
expedition
One hundred
female scientists
travel to the white
continent to
increase women’s
leadership in
the area of
sustainability.
Seven of them
speak to us about
the change of
mindset in the
fight against
climate change.
30
Ambassadors
Join us and invest
in the planet.
Four prominent
professionals
committed to
sustainable values:
Marc Gasol, Karla
Souza, Amaro
Gómez-Pablos,
and David Pocock.
34
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6
This is
your home
The planet is the epitome of the common good.
It’s the only home we have, but it’s in danger
of ruin. Its warming is like a fever in a living
organism, and to stave off illness we must limit it
to 1.5° C by the end of this century
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7
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25YEARS OFTHE COP
8
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9
25YEARS OFTHE COP
9
A universal
assembly
wants to save
the Earth
From predictions to fait accompli.
Climate change can leave us grappling with
disasters, but its effects also send us a message:
If we don’t step up our efforts, things will soon get
much worse. For 25 years, the Conference of the
Parties (COP) to the United Nations has worked
to organize and speed up our response to climate
change. Insufﬁcient, perhaps, but indispensable.
This is an overview of the COP.
25th anniversary of the COP
by Ángel Luis Sucasas

10
25YEARS OFTHE COP
1948, Paris, a milestone
for humanity: ratiﬁcation
of the inalienable rights
of all members of the
human family. At the
time, no one suspected
that nearly half a century
later another declaration
would be even broader
and more pressing. One
to safeguard the rights
of the entire planet.
1992 COP1_1995
COP2_1996
Río de Janeiro
Theﬁrstmajormilestone:TheEarth
Summitannouncedthecreationofthe
UnitedNationsFrameworkConvention
onClimateChange.Theorganization
acknowledgedaproblemthatagrowing
numberofscientistswerewarningabout.
Berlin. Established the Berlin
Mandate, a framework of
instruments to determine
how nations would tackle
the reduction of greenhouse
gases, based on their level of
development.
Geneva. Called for “binding, quantitative targets”
for the reduction of emissions.
“THE BALANCE OF EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS THAT THERE IS A
DISCERNIBLE HUMAN INFLUENCE
ON GLOBAL CLIMATE”
BERT BOLIN,
Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change

11
I
25YEARS OFTHE COP
COP3_1997
COP4_1998
Kyoto. Approved the Kyoto
Protocol, introducing targets for
GHG emissions for 37 industrialized
countries, to be met in the period
from 2008-2012. The USA and
China, the two biggest emitters,
did not ratify the document.
Buenos Aires
“IT’S ANOTHER SMALL TURN ON THE RUDDER OF THE CLIMATE
CHANGE SUPERTANKER. BUT GOVERNMENTS HAVE MUCH MORE
TO DO TO STEER CLEAR OF THE ROCKS”
LARS GEORG JENSEN, Policy Coordinator, Climate Change
& Sustainability
protocols: the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 25),
the 15th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol
(CMP 15), and the 2nd Meeting of the Parties to the Par-
is Agreement (CMA 2).
It will attempt to bridge the gap between words and
actions, to expedite the measures set out in these
major agreements so that they can match the pace
at which climate change is occurring. The course of
the COP history has zig-zagged: promising advanc-
es have alternated with frustrating resistance from
uncooperative nations, the inertia of an unsustain-
able economic model, and denial from televange-
lists with the audacity to gainsay the entire scientific
community. Further stumbling blocks include a lack
of enforcement authority to oblige parties to comply
with measures, although this hasn’t stopped a num-
ber of trailblazing institutions, countries, companies
and citizens from living up to their responsibility and
leading the way.
t materialized with the first Conference of the Parties
(COP), held in Berlin in 1995.
The idea was that prevention is better than cure: “The
Parties should protect the climate system for the bene-
fit of present and future generations of humankind, on
the basis of equity and in accordance with their com-
mon but differentiated responsibilities and respective
capabilities. Accordingly, the developed country Par-
ties should take the lead in combating climate change
and the adverse effects thereof.” Today, this universal
declaration of intent is even more relevant.
It’s been 25 years since that initial effort, a council
to preserve the Earth that countries, institutions and
companies, including ACCIONA, attend as participants
and listeners, and to debate the well-being of the global
village. How is the blue planet faring? What can we do
to improve its health?
This session —in IFEMA – Feria de Madrid from Decem-
ber 2-13— will be historic, as it will serve as the meet-
ing for all of the major climate change agreements and

12
25YEARS OFTHE COP
Why might the 25th session be one of the most pro-
ductive ever? Because of the current situation itself,
the two-sided coin of global warming: on one hand,
its increasingly aggressive effects are a warning that
we’re not doing enough, and on the other, the fact
that we’re experiencing real consequences rather than
predictions increases the pressure —from the media,
politicians, citizens— to act.
In comparison to the concerns 25 years ago in Ber-
lin, what are the most pressing matters today? Many
things, although the COP will focus on the oceans
and the cryosphere (collectively, all forms of frozen
water on Earth, covering 10% of its land area). This
enormous water mass from which life originated
plays a key role in regulating the planet’s climate,
capturing and redistributing heat and CO2
. And, of
course, it acts as a food store and water reservoir for
all humanity.
The session in Madrid, more than any COP that has
gone before it, will demonstrate that climate change
is not just a prediction, but a reality. It will thus give
priority not just to prevention, but also to adapting
to the effects we are already facing by making dras-
tic adjustments to our ways of life. The effects we are
already suffering are a warm-up for those to come.
“We [must] increase our ability to build resilience,
and there will be more benefits for sustainable devel-
opment,” says Hoesung Lee, chair of the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
All of us have an ethical duty to fulfil this mandate.
Just as we did with human rights.
Indigenous knowledge
One of the most notable aspects of COP25 is its
recognition that indigenous and local knowledge will
play a central role in healing the planet. According to
a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, indigenous knowledge may even be on a par
with scientific knowledge when it comes to shedding
light on how humans can adapt to the drastic changes
already wrought by global warming: “Improving
education and scientific knowledge in parallel to
local and indigenous knowledge can help develop
context-specific solutions that facilitate communities’
adaptation to the inevitable changes and their
response to the coming challenges.”
COP5_1999
COP6_2000
Bonn
La Haya
“MAINTAINING THE
STATU QUO IS NO
LONGER ACCEPTABLE.”
BAKARY KANTE, Spokesperson
for the United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP)
“LET US RISE UP TO MEET THIS GREAT CHALLENGE.
SCIENCE DEMANDS IT; OUR PLANET AND ITS PEOPLE
DESERVE IT. SO LET’S GET TO WORK”
FRANK E. LOY, Head of the US Delegation
COP7_2001
Marrakech. Wrapped up
almost all of the Kyoto
Protocol negotiations.
The agreements were
called the Marrakesh
Accords.

13
25YEARS OFTHE COP
ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS, THE
OBJECTIVEOF THE COP IS TO
COP8_2002 COP9_2003
New Delhi Milan
“WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT
THE ETHOS OF DEMOCRACY
CAN SUPPORT ANY NORM
OTHER THAN EQUAL PER-
CAPITA RIGHTS TO GLOBAL
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES”
ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE,
Prime Minister of India
“IT IS EVIDENT THAT WE NEED
FULL DEPLOYMENT OF EXISTING
TECHNOLOGIES, AND, IN
ADDITION, ACTIVE RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW, INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES”
JOKE WALLER-HUNTER,
Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC
HOW IT WORKS
COP
UNFCCC
the inner workings of the COP
197countries meet
together as parties to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), which entered
into force on the 21st of March 1994.
This Convention regulates member
states’ commitments to ﬁghting
climate change and assesses their
compliance.
Thedecision-making bodyiscomposedof:
• 11delegateswhoarealsoempoweredas
representativesattheKyotoProtocoland
ParisAgreementmeetings.
• Thepresidencyrotatesbetweenthe
planet’sﬁveregionalgroups:TheAfrican
States,AsianStates,WesternEurope,
EasternEurope,LatinAmericanand
CaribbeanStates,andOtherStates.
It is used to set an agenda for
the parties, primarily with
regard to reports drafted by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) of the United Nations,
composed of
195delegates
(one per country).
These exhaustive reports are
available to the public.
MAIN BODY:
19working groups
on areas such as:
• Technology
• Finance
• Developing Countries
The COPincludes
THE CONVENTION
“STABILIZE GREENHOUSE
GAS CONCENTRATIONS
AT A LEVEL THAT WOULD
PREVENT DANGEROUS
ANTHROPOGENIC
(HUMAN-INDUCED)
INTERFERENCE WITH THE
CLIMATE SYSTEM”
COP10_2004
Buenos Aires
Discussions began
to decide on the
agreements to be
implemented after
the Kyoto Protocol
expired in 2012.

14
25YEARS OFTHE COP
COP11_2005
COP21_2015
COP13_2007 COP14_2008
COP12_2006
Montreal.Createdtwomain
meetingsbetweentheparties:
theCOPandthenewMeetingof
thePartiestotheKyotoProtocol
(CMP),devotedwhollytothe
agreementsofsaidProtocol.
Bali. Recognized the need
to speed up plans to contain
global warming, and laid
the initial foundations of
the agreement that would
replace the Kyoto Protocol.
Poznan. Addressed a crucial
issue: transfer of technology to
enable developing countries to
plan their sustainable infras-
tructure without hindering
their growth.
Nairobi
“I WOULD EXPECT HEADS OF STATE
TO MAYBE COME TO THE NEXT
CLIMATE SUMMIT AND SAY: LET’S
GET ON WITH THIS”
HANS VEROLME, Director of WWF’s Global Climate
Change Program
“That future is one that we have the power
to change. Right here. Right now”
Former President of the United States
Barack Obama

15
25YEARS OFTHE COP
“WE HAVE MADE A START.
I BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE NEED
TO FOLLOW UP ON QUICKLY
IS ENSURING A LEGALLY
BINDING OUTCOME”
GORDON BROWN,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
“CLIMATE CHANGE IS REALLY ABOUT THE
WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE. IT IS NOT A VERY
VAGUE CONCEPT OR A VAGUE PROBLEM
THAT IS OUT OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES”
PATRICIA ESPINOSA, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC
“THE NEXT MAJOR WAVE
OF DEFORESTATION IS
ALREADY HERE AND IT IS
HAPPENING IN AFRICA”
BOB SCHOLES, Member of the
Council for Scientiﬁc and Industrial
Research in South Africa
COP24_2018
COP15_2009
COP16_2010
COP17_2011
Copenhagen
Cancun
Durban
“We’re almost out of time. It’s not rhetoric—
it’s reality. It’s not politics—it’s science”
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary
Patricia Espinosa

16
25YEARS OFTHE COP
Recognitionofthe
problem.Since
COP2(Gene-
va,1996),allUN
MemberStates
haveacknowl-
edgedthereality
ofglobalwarming.
Meanwhile,the
Intergovernmental
PanelonClimate
Change(IPCC)has
gainedpowerand
influencewithits
reportsonthesta-
tusoftheplanet,
aimedatdefining
areasthatrequire
themosturgent
action.
International
agreementswith
adjustabletargets.
TheKyotoProtocol
(1997)wasfirst,fol-
lowedbytheParis
Agreement(2015),
whichwassigned
by195countries.
Theirmaingoal:to
limittheaverage
increaseinthe
planet’stempera-
tureto1.5°Cto2°C
abovepre-indus-
triallevels.They
markaqualitative
leapforwardwith
respecttoother
climateconfer-
ences,duetotheir
mediaimpact
andbenchmark
role.Theydonot,
however,havethe
powertoinfringeon
statesovereignty,
althoughtheydo
exertgrowingpres-
sureonstatesto
obtaintheircoop-
eration.
Althoughthe
Americanpres-
ident,Donald
Trump,announced
theUSA’swith-
drawalfromthe
ParisAgreement,
anysuchwith-
drawalwouldnot
beeffectiveuntil
November2020at
theearliest,after
histermhascon-
cluded.Thematter
thusdependson
thenextelection.
1. Hurdles
overcome
COP18_2012 COP20_2014 COP21_2015
COP19_2013
Doha. Extended the Kyoto
Protocol until 2020, eight
years beyond the date it
was set to expire. The USA,
Russia and Canada did not
support the extension.
Lima. For the first time, all
Member States agreed to
develop and share their
commitment to reducing
greenhouse gases.
Paris. A historic commitment
was unanimously adopted: to
keep global warming to less
than 2°C above pre-industrial
levels and to continue efforts
to limit it to 1.5°C. Over 30,000
people took part in the COP.
Warsaw
“WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR NINE BILLION
PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET, AS WE ALL DESERVE
A DECENT AND SECURE LIFE”
MARCINKOROLEK,PolishMinisterofEnvironmentandChairofCOP19
CHALLENGES:past, present, future
Since its inception, the COP has had to run a constant obstacle course
when it comes to aligning the interests and needs of the most power-
ful nations with those of the weakest or least populous.
Over the past quarter-century, its sessions have contributed to the
development of a series of measures with a goal so clear it can be
summed up in three words: saving the planet. However, many mea-
sures are still needed to enable debates, protocols and regulations to
have the required immediate effect on any environmental disasters
that may occur. Read on for an overview.

17
25YEARS OFTHE COP
Legal obligation to
comply with trea-
ties. The biggest
bone of contention
still hangs in the
balance, despite
the fact that the
need for binding
treaty provisions
was highlighted
as early as COP2
(1996). However,
this is no easy
task. There is no
supreme global
executive author-
ity that overrides
national sovereign-
ty and interests.
Nations’ compli-
ance is thus moni-
tored as a matter of
public transparen-
cy, but there are no
dissuasive penal-
ties for those who
fail to comply.
Effectiveness
of agreements.
In 2017 the sci-
entific journal
Nature published a
descriptively-titled
study, “Prove Paris
was more than
paper promises,”
which drew a cate-
gorical conclusion:
all industrialized
countries were
failing to meet
the pledges they
had made to cut
greenhouse-gas
emissions. The
scientific commu-
nity shared some
of the criticisms
that environmental
organizations have
leveled against the
COP since day one:
in the absence of a
binding obligation
that includes ade-
quate sanctions,
pledges made
aren’t carried out
at the level and
within the time
frame necessary.
In other words,
there is chasm
between what is
agreed and what
is done. It is of vital
importance that
we narrow this gap.
Genderbalance.The
debateongenderand
diversityhasmadeits
wayintoclimatecon-
ferences,andgender
balancewasincluded
asapriorityareaatthe
lasttwosessionsofthe
COP,in2017and2018.
Atpresent,87ofthe
272membersofits20
constituentbodiesare
women.Theirpresence
grew32%between
2017and2018.
Moreyoungpeople,
moreethnicgroups.A
specificdayhasbeen
devotedtoyoung
people,ashaveforums
liketheUniversityof
Silesia’sConferenceof
YouthduringCOP24.
Increasingattention
isbeingpaidtoyoung
people’scriticisms
andproposals.“We
aretheoneswhowill
livewiththeoutcomes
ofthisprocess,”said
UNEnvoyonYouth
JayathmaWickra-
manayake.
Inaddition,theInterna-
tionalIndigenousPeo-
ples’ForumonClimate
Change,anotherCOP
body,hasbeenactive
since2015.
3. Remaining
challenges
2. Representation of diversity
COP23_2017 COP24_2018
COP22_2016
Bonn. A historic agreement was
signed concerning agriculture
and its sustainability, placing
this human activity at the
forefront of environmental
policies and debate
Katowice, Poland. Defined the details of
how to implement the Paris Agreement,
which enters into force in 2020. A total of
50 countries signed the Solidarity and Just
Transition Silesia Declaration, to ensure that
the affected workforce would receive aid.
Marrakech
“I’M OPTIMISTIC. WE’RE
GOING TO WIN THIS.”
AL GORE, former Vice-President of the USA
Public and media
mobilization is a
tool with growing
power that can
put pressure
on disengaged
governments
and companies.
Sometimes votes
and consumption
have more sway
than diplomatic
agreements.

18
CLIMATE
CHANGE...
It’s here to stay, but it doesn’t have to be a worst-case scenario. Although the human
response is still insufficient, we have the means and the technology to reverse the trend.
In this article, we look at the challenges and –in particular– the solutions that will put us
on the path to the greatest victory imaginable.
18-29_ACCIONA_RETOS_CAMBIO_CLIMATICO_ENG.indd 1818-29_ACCIONA_RETOS_CAMBIO_CLIMATICO_ENG.indd 18 14/11/19 17:5314/11/19 17:53

by Yolanda Colías
19
IT,
OR US

20
THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE
espite decades of warnings
from the scientiﬁc communi-
ty, the agreements brokered
by the United Nations (UN), and growing social mobili-
zation, measures to stem the climate crisis aren’t going
far enough.
At the 2019 Climate Action Summit in New York, the
UN Secretary-General himself, António Guterres,
asked countries for concrete, realistic plans by 2020
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saying that it was
essential to cut them by 45% over the next ten years,
and to zero by the mid-century. If we continue on our
current path, according to the UN’s analysis of the
implementation of the Paris Agreement (2015), rather
than having fallen by 2030, emissions will have risen
10.7% above 2016 levels.
EVEN AS THE CLIMATE BATTERS THE LAND,
SEA, AND AIR, IT ALSO ASSAULTS OUR
CONSCIENCES —COLLECTIVELY, AT THE
LEVEL OF GOVERNMENTS, INSTITUTIONS,
AND COMPANIES, AND INDIVIDUALLY, AT
THE LEVEL OF EVERY INHABITANT OF THE
EARTH— AS WE ASK OURSELVES THE BIG
QUESTION: “WHAT DO I DO, AND WHAT CAN
I DO, TO HELP THE PLANET?”
The goal continues to be to ensure that the average tem-
perature of the planet in 2100 is no more than 1.5°C to
2°C above pre-industrial levels. “We are currently on
track for 3 or 4 degrees, which is a very signiﬁcant cli-
mate change, and that means we don’t know exactly
what kind of world we’ll be facing,” says Alejandro
Caparrós, a researcher at the Institute of Public Goods
and Policies of the Spanish Research Council (CSIS) and
co-author —of the chapter on international cooper-
ation— of the next report by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
For her part, Christiana Figueres —Executive Secretary
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) from 2010 to 2016 and one of the architects
of the Paris Agreement— warns, along with many sci-
entific authorities, that if we don’t act fast enough,
humanity will face an unprecedented level of destruc-
tion that exceeds even that of the World Wars.
It’s a grim picture, but there’s still time to avoid it. “If
we can achieve carbon-neutrality by 2100, the known
impacts won’t be reversed, but we will be able to halt
even greater ones,” says María José Sanz, scientific
director of the Basque Center of Climate Change (BC3).
Read on for a discussion of the challenges facing us and
possible solutions.
D

21

The average global temperature has risen 1.1°C since the
pre-industrial era. In the period from 2015 to 2019, it
rose 0.2°C compared to 2011-2015. In the past ﬁve years,
CO2
emission growth rates were 20% higher than in the
previous five years, putting us on a path to the hottest
ﬁve-year period on record. The last decade alone brought
eight of the warmest years ever recorded globally, with
2016 setting a new high.
The Arctic also experienced record heat, “with a 3-degree
increase since 1990,” says María José Sanz. In fact, accord-
ing to the 4th session of the UN Environment Assembly,
winter temperatures in the Arctic are set to rise 3° to 5°
by 2050. Furthermore, the IPCC’s latest report on global
warming and the oceans warns that sea level rise is accel-
erating and is now unstoppable due to the melting ice
sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic, even if we comply
with the Paris Agreement. Even with full compliance, sea
levels are expected to rise 43 centimeters by 2100. If we do
nothing, however, they will rise by 84 centimeters.
There’s no need to stress how dire the consequences
will be for a population that’s highly concentrated in
coastal areas: almost 1.5 billion people live in the places
at greatest risk. Ocean warming is also associated with
an increase in extreme weather: storms, cyclones, and
floods will occur more often in many of the planet’s
regions, including the Mediterranean.
1 _Warming of Mother
22

23
The oceans absorb over 90% of the excess heat and
roughly 25% of the carbon we emit each year, but the
high levels of CO2
that remain in the water are chang-
ing its acidity at great cost to the environment. Forests
and jungles are the other terrestrial ecosystems that
are capable of absorbing megatons of carbon emis-
sions. This year alone, however, fires have ravaged the
Amazon Forest, where the European Space Agency
detected nearly 4,000 fires between the 1st and 24th of
August. There have been 700,000 so far in 2019.
Not only do forest fires reduce the absorption of CO2
,
they also release it, along with other pollutants includ-
ing particulate matter and toxic gases. According to the
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS),
fires released 255 megatons of carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere between the 1st and 25th of August.
Unprecedented wildfires have also raged across Sibe-
ria and parts of the Arctic, Greenland, and Alaska. This
poses another problem, as forests and wooded regions
regulate rain and maintain the water cycle.
2_Burning lungs

24
Every year the planet loses 24 billion tons of fertile land. Desertification encom-
passes land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from
various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. According to the
United Nations, 1.8 billion people will be living in areas with absolute water scarcity
by 2025, and two-thirds of the population will lack sufficient water resources.
Extreme heat waves, long droughts, poor harvests, and floods are already caus-
ing an upsurge in migration. In just a quarter of a century, roughly 135 million
people could be displaced by desertification. “Several studies —says Alejan-
dro Caparrós— show that a significant portion of current African migration to
Europe is due to climate change. Agricultural conditions are worsening in Africa,
and they will continue to do so.”
3 _Crossing the desert: displaced by thirst

25
“Humans can develop quick solutions that allow us to
adapt, but other species can’t. There are already signs of
rapid loss of biodiversity, and climate change has a lot to
do with that,” warns Caparrós. “What would happen to
species that live at high altitudes if the temperature there
rose by 2°C?”
Ocean warming, acidification, and oxygen loss take
their toll. According to the IPCC, there will unques-
tionably be an impact on ﬁshing and communities in
vulnerable areas. It also warns of the high risk to some
marine species such as coral, which is being bleached
due to rising acidity. “It’s highly likely that there’s
almost nothing we can do to stop 80% of these organ-
isms from disappearing,” says Caparrós. “And that will
have consequences for ecosystems and, by extension,
economies. We are more dependent on biodiversity
than we think.”
According to the International Union for Conservation of
Nature, 26,500 species are in danger of extinction.
4 _Biodiversity

26
WHAT SHOULD
(AND, ABOVE ALL,
WHAT CAN) WE DO?
Decarbonization
“Today, we are emitting 41 gigatons of CO2
. By 2030 we need to hit
20, the following decade we have to cut it to ten and then to five,
which is how many gigatons the planet can absorb naturally. It’s
not easy, because we’ve been doing the opposite, increasing emis-
sions, for 50 years, but it’s entirely possible. And we have funds,”
said Christiana Figueres in a recent interview in El País.
Achieving this requires a complete transformation of the energy
sector, to a model based on renewable sources. “60% to 70% of
emissions come from the current model,” says María José Sanz.
“There’s technology to do it and it’s not that expensive; in Europe
and the USA, we can definitely afford it,” argues Caparrós. “It’s
another story in poor and developing countries, which are also the
least culpable, as their CO2
emissions are much lower. They will
need some sort of compensation, and that’s where international
cooperation is key.”
How, and how fast?
The IPCC estimates that the use of oil and gas must fall 20% by 2030,
and 55% by 2050. And we need to forget about coal. The UN marked
outthepathinNewYork:inadditiontotransitioningtocleanenergy,we
musttransformindustriessuchasoilandgas,steel,chemicals,cement,
andIT.Wealsoneednature-basedmeasuresandtomobilizepublicand
private funding sources to decarbonize all priority sectors, as well as
localactionwithafocusoneco-eﬃcientbuildings,publictransportation,
sustainableinfrastructure,andsmartcities.Allofthismustoccurwithin
thecontextofafairtransitionthatdoesn’taddtoinequality.
Countries must do their bit
Almost 70 countries have pledged to review their emission plans for
2020, and 77 in the longer term —they have committed to reaching
carbon-neutrality by 2050—. Furthermore, 12 will make contribu-
tions to the Green Climate Fund, which finances projects in devel-
oping countries. The contributors include Spain, which will pay 150
million euros into the fund over four years.
European Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen hopes to
launch a Green Deal to help coal-dependent countries like Poland. The
EU estimates that 32% of all ﬁnal energy consumption will come from
renewable sources by the end of 2030, compared to 17% at present,
and that at least 25% of its next budget will be allocated to fighting
climate change. “Europe seems set to achieve compliance quickly.
But it’s very important for that to happen in the USA and Brazil, and
in Russia, China, and India, which haven’t been very ambitious in their
commitments,” explains Caparrós. Together, the EU and these major
nations are responsible for over 60% of global emissions.

27

28
NATURE AS
A SOLUTION
The common good of private initiative
Nature-based solutions capitalize on terrestrial ecosystems like for-
ests, jungles and fertile land to capture CO2
and act as carbon sinks.
That’s why reforestation, forestry, sustainable land use, and integrat-
ed water management are vital.
One of the proposals is the Great Green Wall for Cities, which will
create 500,000 hectares of new urban forests in cities in the Sahel
and Central Asia by 2030, in addition to protecting 300,000 hectares
of existing forests.
“These are very positive large-scale remedies which complement,
but cannot replace, other more urgent measures such as changing
the energy model,” says María José Sanz. “Their effect isn’t imme-
diate. They are biological systems, which means they are also very
vulnerable to climate change,” she explains.
According to the UN, the green economy could create over 23 trillion
euros worth of business opportunities by 2030. And a group of com-
panies on the front line not only understand it, they’re championing it.
At the last Climate Action Summit in New York, 87 major corporations
—withdirectannualemissionsequivalentto73coal-firedpowerplants—
pledged to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050, and to align their busi-
nesses with the sustainable economy. Days earlier, Amazon president
andfounderJeffBezospledgedtoreachzeroemissionsby2040.
In addition, 130 banks around the world have made a commitment, via
the Principles for Responsible Banking, to achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals and complying with the Paris Agreement. Some
230 international investment funds with a combined USD 16 trillion in
assets under management have asked the governments of Brazil and
BoliviaforeffectivemeasurestostopdeforestationintheAmazon.They
havealsowarnedbusinessesthatmaybecomplicitindeforestation.
“The battle on climate change will be won by citizens, with their votes
and their consumption decisions,” says Alejandro Caparrós. This
phenomenon doubtless extends to engaging with companies that
are part of the solution, not the problem. “Young people are making it
crystal clear in the protests they are staging; they’re sending a mes-
sage about the planet they want.”

29

30
Expedition to
a Change of
MindsetTheyarefemalescientists,engineers,mathematicians,doctors,biologists,sciencecommunicators…and
expeditionersonatriptoAntarcticathatwillincreasefemaleleadershipintheﬁghtagainstclimatechange.
30-33_Especial_EXPEDICION_MUJERES_CIENTIFICAS_ENG.indd 3030-33_Especial_EXPEDICION_MUJERES_CIENTIFICAS_ENG.indd 30 14/11/19 17:5214/11/19 17:52

31
THEY HAVE SET OUT
ON THE FOURTH
EXPEDITION ORGANIZED
BY THE PROGRAM
HOMEWARD BOUND,
A GLOBAL INITIATIVE
FOR PROFESSIONALS IN
STEMM FIELDS. THEIR
MISSION: TO INCREASE
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
IN SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILD
A NETWORK OF 1,000
WOMEN TO WORK ON JOINT
PROJECTS.
ON THEIR TRIP TO THE
WHITE CONTINENT –
SUPPORTED BY ACCIONA–
THEY WILL OBSERVE THE
EFFECTS OF GLOBAL
WARMING AND MEET THE
SCIENTIFIC TEAMS TRYING
TO MITIGATE THEM.
SEVEN OF THE WOMEN TALK
ABOUT TWO CHANGES: ONE
IN THE CLIMATE, AND ONE
IN MENTALITY.
by Patricia Alcorta
HILARY A. McMANUS_USA
Associate Professor of Biological and
Environmental Science.
“It’s easy to become paralyzed by the
enormity of the issue, not knowing where
to start because we can’t entirely change
the way we are living overnight.”
“We need action at the individual level,
the community level, and globally; an all-
hands-on-deck approach and a drastic
shift away from conducting business as
usual. Investment in solutions is a must,
as is shifting funds from the fossil fuel
industry to ecosystem restoration, green
energy technology, regenerative agricul-
ture, and research.”
“Understanding species diversity and
the roles individual organisms play in
our ecosystems is integral to the devel-
opment of conservation policies. As an
educator, I guide young adults in gaining
an appreciation for the role humans play in
environmental degradation. We connect
the dots between environmental health,
social justice, and human health.”
“I imagine a world in which there is equal
representation at the leadership table,
that’s thriving because collaborative,
inclusive leadership challenged the statu
quo and made decisions that considered
the health of the planet.”
•••
NATALIE UNTERSTELL_Brazil
Co-founder of Talanoa,
a climate change adaptation
think-and-do tank.
Firms, governments, and billions of people
around the world have much to gain from
low-carbon consumption and technolo-
gies, yet risk-management is precarious
in many societies.”
“TheFourthIndustrialRevolution,drivenby
artificialintelligence,istransformingevery-
one’slivesinthismuchwarmerworld.Itis
concerning,butitalsomakesmehopeful
thatthistransformationwillbetowards
aresilientandzero-carbonfutureforall,
especiallythemostvulnerable.”
“The traditional model of leadership
reflects a fixed mindset. It ignores
nature’s carrying capacity, taking for
granted that the Earth will take care of
negative externalities. A new leader-
ship model with an adaptive mindset
is required, one that enables action as
opposed to reaction.”
“Heat waves in Río de Janeiro, droughts
and extreme flooding in the Amazon,
which risks becoming a savannah... Cli-
mate change is accelerating. We need the
public and private sectors moving at the
right pace.”
A photo from the 2018
expedition. This year
is the fourth of ten
that Homeward Bound
plans to organize. 100
women from 33 different
countries are taking part.

32
From left to right:
HILARY A. McMANUS
NATALIE UNTERSTELL
MARGA GUAL
MÓNICA ARAYA
SANDRA GUZMÁN
LINH DO
LINH DO_Australia
Asia and Pacific Lead,
Climate Reality Projecta.
“We have the technological know-how to
have a just transition towards renewable
energy. We know how economic systems
could be adapted. We must act and rec-
ognize that we’re here on this planet as
guests and not owners.”
“It’s such an enormous issue that peo-
ple go through different emotional and
rational states as they process it, from
denial to grief to paralysis, where many
end up stuck. The first step in any journey
is always the hardest.”
“It’s a long-term problem; something that
happened decades ago can have directly
correlated impacts in the future. Citizens
are well and truly aware, but our current
leadership is confined to local institutions
and short electoral cycles that don’t fac-
tor in these broad timelines. The private
sector is not averse to moving, but with-
out the necessary government policies,
changes don’t occur fast enough.”
MARGA GUAL SOLER_Spain
Expert on Scientific Diplomacy and
Scientific Policy Advisor to the
European Commission.
“It’s been demonstrated that diverse
work teams make better decisions and
find more creative solutions to major
challenges. The participation of women is
good for the planet!”
“After completing my PhD in biology,
I swapped my lab for the UN. There,
I became aware of the deep divide
between the scientific and diplomatic
communities, and I decided to devote my
career to building bridges between them.
Collaborative, inclusive, science-based
diplomacy is needed to align govern-
ments, academia, the private sector,
NGOs and civil society, and national and
global interests, so that we can tackle
challenges together.”
“In 2090 the Iberian Peninsula could
look like the Sahara. The Mediterranean,
where I am from, is highly vulnerable due
to population concentration in coastal
areas and impacts on the agricultural,
industrial, tourism and maritime sectors.
But more and more governments are
declaring a climate emergency and pass-
ing legislation, and companies are moving
toward a business model based on sus-
tainability, the energy transition, and the
Sustainable Development Goals.”
•••
MÓNICA ARAYA_Costa Rica
Founder of Costa Rica Limpia,
an NGO that fosters renewable energy
and e-Mobility
“We are distracted, we’ve forgotten our
natural world. We need to return to the
basics, to reconnect with nature.”
“I’m an economist with environmental
management training, and I became a
sustainability ‘translator’ when I dis-
covered the power of stories. I want to
inspire others to engage in concrete
actions. I love when someone says
that something I wrote moved them to
action.”
“All of Latin America is highly vulnerable
to the climate impacts that are harming
our gorgeous ecosystems, and we are
losing species. But my country, Costa
Rica, is not the problem. We have a
decarbonization plan up to 2050, over
98% of our electricity comes from
renewables, and we have stopped
deforestation while growing the econo-
my and the population.”
“One of the first measures I would
take is to end fossil fuel subsidies. It’s
unacceptable to use public money to
subsidize energy sources that warm the
planet.”
SANDRA GUZMÁN_Mexico
Social Scientist and climate activist.
“Apathy is the main cause of inaction.”
“It’snotpossibletogovernanemptyworld.
Andthere’snoroomforeconomicgrowth
withoutenvironmentaljustice.Society
needstoprepareforanewformofdemoc-
racy,becausegovernmentscan’tendthe
climatecrisiswithouttheparticipationofa
largernumberofstakeholders.Theyhave
anobligationtoestablishtherightcondi-
tionsforaction.”
“We need a model that eschews self-in-
terest, that seeks the common good and
not the good of a few, that’s driven by a
sense of community. If humanity isn’t
able to collaborate, we will lead our race to
extinction.”
“Some political leaders are becoming
aware and trying to change our path, but
others only see what they want to see,
not what is really happening. They live
in their bubbles, obstructing action and
denying climate change.”
Scientii
sstts sst takkinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
pppppppppaaaaaaarrrrrttriiiinnnnnntttthhhheee
eeeeeeeeeeeeexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxeeepeditio
n•

33
MUSIMBI KANYORO_Kenia
Human rights advocate and
President of the Global Fund for
Women.
“Greed, nearsightedness, stupidity,
selfishness... these are the causes
of inaction. Those in power and
those who pollute the most are all
too content with their immediate
benefits. They refuse to make
changes that they will not profit
from in their lifetime. But the young
voices that are now being heard will
change the future.”
“Anewgenerationofleadershipis
emergingamongpeoplewholack
authority,youth,boysandgirls,with
thenewstrengthofwomenandthe
indigenouscommunitiesthathave
beenonthefrontlineforyearsdefen-
dingourforests,riversandland.”
“Social movements are more
effective than individuals in bringing
about change. But we still need
good individual leaders everywhe-
re: in organizations, businesses, reli-
gious institutions and governments.
In the face of the climate challenge,
we are all needed; there is never a
reason to exclude anyone.”
“Andpleaserememberthatpeople
inruralareas,thepoorandthose
whohavenotbeeneducatedwith
Westernbooksarenotfools.Not
includingthemindecisionsisdetri-
mentaltohumandevelopment.”
“ I N T H E FAC E
O F T H E C L I M AT E
C H A L L E N G E , W E A R E
A L L N E E D E D. A N D
P L E AS E R E M E M B E R
T H AT P E O P L E I N
R U R A L A R E AS A N D
T H E P O O R A R E
N OT FO O L S ; N OT
I N C LU D I N G T H E M
I N D E C I S I O N S I S
D E T R I M E N TA L
TO H U M A N
D E V E LO P M E N T ”
Musimbi Kanyoro
The expedition will
visit various sites
in the Antarctic to
observe the effects
of climate change on
biodiversity, glacial
retreat, ice distribu-
tion, and the decline in
precipitation.
Speciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssttttttttttttttttttttttt
ooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnntttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeexxxxxx
ppppppppedition
•

UNFOLDING THE
ENERGY TRANSITION
UNFOLDINGTHE
ENERGYTRANSITION
DESPEGABLE_NUEVO_CARA_ENG.indd26DESPEGABLE_NUEVO_CARA_ENG.indd2614/11/1916:3014/11/1916:30

ASUSTAINABLE
FUTURE?
1994
Spain’sfirstwindfarm
ConstructionofthefirstphaseofElPerdónwindfarm(Navarra),witha
capacityof20MW,whichwaslaterincorporatedintoACCIONA’sEnergy
Division.ApioneeringfacilityinSpain,itmarkedthebeginningofaperiodof
enormousdevelopmentinthemanufactureofwindgenerationequipment.
Injust10years,Spain’sinstalledwindcapacitygrewto8,440MW.Today,it
is23,484MW.Intheyear2000,theglobalenergymixwasstillamonopoly
ofoil,gasandcoal.25gigatonsofCO2
wereemittedeachyear.Withrespect
totheUSAandEurope,Chinastillplayedasecondaryroleintermsofemis-
sions,andrenewableenergywasanemergingphenomenonlimitedtoEuro-
peandNorthAmerica.
2016
Nomorethan2ºCelsius
TheaimoftheParisAgreement:ensurethattheincreaseinglobaltem-
peratureswithrespecttopre-industrialtimesdoesnotexceedthislimit.
However,theagreementstillhasnotbeenfullyimplementedanditsfiner
detailscontinuetobediscussedinthesessionsoftheCOP.
2019
Majorcitiesbattling
climatechange
ClimateLeadershipGroupMayorsSummit.ThemajorcitiesoftheWest
react.30ofthe94citiesinthisgrouparealreadycuttingtheiremissions,
includingMadridandBarcelona.Copenhagenistheworldleader.82have
implementedbikerentalschemes(comparedto13in2009),theyhave
acombinedtotalofover66,000electricbuses(100tenyearsago),and
18havebannedorrestrictednon-recyclableorsingle-useplastic(2had
donesoonedecadeago).
Polluterspay
TheWorldBankestimatesthatjust20%ofemissionstodayare
subjecttoaCO2pricingmechanism;it’sstillcheaptopollute.
Moreover,theIMFinsiststhatsuchpricingisthemostpowerfultoolin
theenergytransition’sarsenal.Itsrecommendation,ifwewanttocut
emissionstothelevelrequiredbytheclimateemergency:75dollars
pertonofCO2
by2030.Today,theglobalaverageis2dollars.
2040
Electricflighttakesoff
Today,airtrafficisresponsiblefor2.6%ofallCO2
emissions.
Althoughit’sstillinitsinfancy,electricflightpresentsan
alternative.Norwayplansforallofitsdomesticflightstobe
poweredbyelectricityby2040.Beforethen,wecouldsee
helicoptersasmobilitysolutionsinlargemetropolitanareas
suchasLondonandLosAngeles.
2010
Artificialintelligenceandbigdata
inenergymanagement
Anexampleofapplicationatthegloballevel:ACCIONA’sRenewableEnergy
ControlCenter(CECOER),operationalsince2007.Itsbraincaptures,
analyzesandprocessesdatafrom400renewableenergyfacilitiesin
19countries,andmanagesitinrealtime.Itinstantlyimplementsthe
instructionsitreceivesfromtheSystemOperator,enablingaleapforward
inoperationandmaintenanceaswellasimprovedproduction.
2018
Certifiedgreenenergy
Progressiveincreaseinenvironmentalawareness.Totalreliabilityand
competitivenessofrenewableenergy.Increaseddemandforclean
energyfromcompanies.ThankstoitsGreenchainproject,ACCIONAisthe
firstcompanytouseblockchaintocertifythetraceabilityofthepower
fedintothegrid,whichis100%renewable.
2020
Cheaperthanconventionalpower
Thetechnologicalrevolutioninrenewableenergyhasenabledadrastic
reductionincosts:70%inwindand89%inPVsolarincomparisonto2010
.AccordingtoBNEF,it’snowcheapertoopenanewrenewablefacility
thantostartupafossilfuelplantintheUSA,China,BrazilandAustralia,
whicharehometoover2/3oftheworld’spopulation.
2023
Aqualitativeleap
instorage
Itisexpectedthatwithinthenextfouryearswewillbe
abletocompensateforoneofthemainshortfallsof
renewablesources:theirintermittence.Thiswillimprove
large-scalesupplycontinuity.AccordingtoIHSMarkit,
annualbatteryenergystorageinstallationswentfrom
lessthan500MWin2014to3.5GWin2018,anumber
whichwillhavedoubledby2020,andagainby2023.
2025
Fossilfuelgluttony
Themostoptimisticthinktanksexpectglobaldemandtopeakoverthe
nextdecade.ShellSkyScenarioexpectsittohappenin2025,andDNVGl
andMcKinseyin2028.Moreconservativeprojectionsexpectfossilfuel
demandtocontinuetogrowuntil2040.Expertsbelieveitisessentialfor
ittogrindtoahaltifwearetoachievethetargetof2ºC.
2030
Oneineverythreevehicles,
electric?
Electricvehiclesareoneofthekeystotheplanet’ssustainabilityin
general,andforgrowingurbanareasinparticular.Promisingprojections:
30%oftheworld’svehicleswillbeelectricby2030.Deloitteestimatesa
valueof33%by2050.Zero-emissionmobilitywillbeshapedbyimproved
batterytechnologyandbyeverycarpotentiallyservingasanenergy
storageanddistributionmicronetworknode.
2050
Aneconomythat’sfinally
decarbonized?
TheUNwarnsthattheworldmustachievenet-zeroemissions:
emissionsaslowaspossiblethatareoffsetbytheplantingof
forestsorbycarboncaptureandstoragetechnologies.Atthelast
ClimateSummitinNewYork,77countriespledgedtoachievethis
by2050.TheEUaspirestoleadthisenergytransitionprocess.
Oneexample:theGreenNewDealproposedbytheEuropean
Commission’spresident-elect,UrsulavonderLeyen.
19countries,andmanagesitinrealtime.Itinstan
instructionsitreceivesfromtheSystemOperator,ena
inoperationandmaintenanceaswellasim
CCCCCCeeeerrtttttttiiiiiiiiififififififififieeeddddggggrreeee
Progressiveincreaseinenvironmentalawareness
competitivenessofrenewableenergy.Increase
fiThktitGhioj
lsius
hattheincreaseinglobaltem-ensureth
ustrialtim
notbeen
ntheses
tlliinnnggggg
sSummit.ThemajorcitiesoftheWest
ldttithiii
hattheincreaseinglobaltem
mesdoesnotexceedthislimit.
nfullyimplementedanditsfiner
ssionsoftheCOP.
andMcKinseyin2028.Moreconservativeprojectionsexpectfossilfu
demandtocontinuetogrowuntil2040.Expertsbelieveitisessentialf
ittogrinddtotaahhhhalalalalalalaattttififwwearetoachievethetargetof2º
Oneineverythreevehicles
electric
Artificialintelligenceandb
inenergymanag
TextbyTomásLópezMorales
ygp(
oonedecadeago).
DESPEGABLE_NUEVO_ENG.indd26DESPEGABLE_NUEVO_ENG.indd2614/11/1916:3214/11/1916:32

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ACCIONA Magazine 73: COP25 Special Edition