The ratification of the Paris Agreement on 4 November 2016 consolidates the framework of the Basque Government’s policies regarding Climate Change and towards a low-carbon economy. The road map for action in the Basque Country is clearly defined in the Climate Change Strategy for the Basque Country – Klima 2050 and in the Energy Strategy of the Basque Country 2030, passed in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

The Basque Country’s contribution to climate change is small in quantitative terms. The Basque share of the European Union’s total emissions stands at around 0.5%. However, shared responsibility is the basic principle governing our climate change policy. The Basque Country has assumed its share of responsibility in a demanding and far-reaching commitment set out in the Climate Change Strategy for the Basque Country-KLIMA 2050 as Basque society does not want to remain on the sidelines of the global fight against climate change. This shared responsibility and society’s demands have driven the public sector and companies to implement a collaborative strategy to achieve low-carbon, competitive economy that is adapted to climate impacts.

The Basque Country is taking steps to transform combating climate change into an opportunity to produce goods and services with lower emissions, implement strategies to adapt to climate change and to train children and young people to be co-responsible and well-informed citizens. All these initiatives, furthermore, have a strategic dimension for the new Basque economy: innovation is taking place to progress towards a committee society and a sustainable Basque economy, based on clean consumption and production guidelines, not dependent on carbon, and driven by the exemplary lea dership of the public sectors.