Spain to ban sale of polluting vehicles in 2040 to hit zero-carbon 2050 goal

London (Quantum Commodity Intelligence) - Spain's lower chamber approved a law Thursday setting out plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and which bans sales of new non-commercial vehicles which emit any CO2 starting in 2040, according to local media reports.

It also bans new concessions for the exploration and production of fossil fuels.

The Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition, which has taken nearly a decade to bring to fruition, will bring Spain in line with its international climate change commitments. 

It will now go to the country's senate, which is expected to approve it in May.

The law will bring into force specific goals for 2030, including 74% of electricity from renewable sources and measures to promote clean energy and emission-free vehicles.

It will also set out a target for a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, but which some parties felt did not go far enough and so will be periodically revised upwards with the first revision to be made in 2023.