Barcelona among 43 world cities listed for fighting climate change

Barcelona has been included on a list of 43 cities around the world that have been recognized for the action they are taking against climate change.

The study by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which promotes the measurement and disclosure of emissions, puts Barcelona with cities such as London, Paris and Hong Kong.

The Catalan capital is the only city in Spain to figure on the list, which highlights its Climate Plan initiative, a roadmap for achieving the goals laid down by the 2016 Paris Agreement.

The plan sets out the measures necessary for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Barcelona by 45% by 2030, and for the city to become carbon neutral by 2050.

In all, the initiative includes 242 measures relating to reducing emissions in such areas as housing, transport, the economy, water management, and the health sector.

Climate change struggling for headlines in Catalonia

Nevertheless, the issue of climate change has struggled to get as much public attention in Catalonia when compared to other comparable places around the world.

Addressing this in an interview with Catalan News last week, Bas Eickhout, the main candidate for the European Greens in the European election, said this "is changing."

Referring to the relative failure of the Fridays for Future environmental initiative to make headlines in Catalonia, Eickhout predicted that the situation would soon change.

"There'll be another big action on May 24, that's the Friday before the elections, and we expect another very big European response, and as far as we know it will also be big in Spain," he told Catalan News.