Spanish energy planning towards a sustainable future

There is a growing awareness among all countries and their decision makers, regardless of economic and industrial development, that the environment must be protected, leading towards a sustainable future. This is especially important in the energy sector-which is the principal factor in economic and industrial development-since the primary energy sources of today, fossil fuels, are the main culprits of global environmental problems, such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and pollution. Industrial countries, being greater consumers of fossil fuels, are affected to a greater extent by their environmental harms. Consequently, these countries are leading the way in environmental protection measures. The European Union, the second largest industrial grouping in the world, has become one of the leaders in taking important measures in the energy sector to curb the harmful emissions over the years. Spain, a member of the European Union, has initiated planning to reduce the pollutants produced by the energy sources and bring them in line with the European Union efforts, while keeping up the country's economic development. This paper reports the efforts and planning of Spain through the year 2010 to comply with the European Union environmental regulations on one hand and to sustain economic development on the other. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.