5 june, World Environment Day

We are progressing toward the energy transition and climate neutrality, both essential to restoring ecosystems

World Environment Day 2023, which is celebrated on 5 June, is part of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global initiative to prevent, stop and repair damage to degraded ecosystems all over the world. Totally aligned with this objective, Iberdrola group is working to conserve healthy ecosystems in all its areas of influence. In this sense, the company continues to promote the energy transition, investing €150 bn by 2030, and has committed to being carbon neutral in Europe in 2030 and globally in 2050, as well as planting 20 million trees during this decade.

We have been working for over 20 years with a mission: To help make the world a better place for our children to live in

Renewing our environmental commitments on World Environment Day.

Energy transition, at the core of our climate action

In line with this strategy, Iberdrola is addressing climate change by pledging to be carbon neutral in Europe by 2030, where its CO2 emissions are only 59 g/kWh at the end of the first nine months of 2022. Globally, it has set out to reduce its emissions to 50 g/KWh by 2030, achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Iberdrola's commitment to the protection and conservation of natural areas is developed in accordance with the principles established in its first biodiversity policy, created in 2007 and renewed in 2022, and is based on years of work to integrate the consideration of biodiversity into the group's management and decision-making.

In this regard, Iberdrola has had a biodiversity action plan in place for years based on four priority action principles defined in the Biodiversity Policy:

To protect biodiversity and make sustainable use of natural capital by adopting a conservation hierarchy.

To promote knowledge of ecosystems in order to identify, quantify and value the impacts of the group's activities.

To collaborate with stakeholders, considering their biodiversity needs and participate in biodiversity enhancement projects.

To highlight and raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity protection and conservation through training activities.

Renewable energy for conserving ecosystems

Iberdrola has made conserving and developing biodiversity an intrinsic part of its strategy and promotes clean energies responsible with nature as a source of sustainable development. Its commitment is embodied in its Biodiversity Policy and has inspired it to set an ambitious target: to achieve zero net biodiversity loss by 2030, working to ensure that new facilities deliver a net positive impact on biodiversity, where possible.

The company has carried out more than 1,600 actions to protect biodiversity around the world in 2020 and 2021, according to the latest Biodiversity Report, combining its renewable projects with initiatives to protect biological diversity in ecosystems and caring for flora, fauna and natural heritage. The group's vision is to build an energy model in harmony with nature and humankind.

We are committed to clean energies that are responsible towards nature.

We encourage livestock activity around renewable production facilities to make good use of pasture.

Installing beehives in the vicinity of photovoltaic plants.

Combining photovoltaic plants and farming activities.

New Startup Challenge: Solutions for responsible offshore wind project development

We have launched a new challenge - through our PERSEO Start-up programme - to find solutions for the responsible development of new offshore wind projects, with the aim of contributing to the decarbonisation of the US energy sector.

Instituto Neoenergia and SAVE Brazil act to protect migratory waders

As part of Environment Day, our Brazilian subholding had carried out several activities External link, opens in new window. on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte with the aim of preserving and raising awareness about waders. The program includes educational social actions in order to help the approximately 26,000 shorebirds that reside in the area.

Our reforestation goal: 20 million trees in 2030

The Iberdrola's Trees programme will promote the planting of 20 million trees by 2030.

Iberdrola has a reforestation plan, the Trees programme, through which it intends to plant of 20 million trees during this decade, which will absorb approximately 6 million tons of CO₂ in 30 years. It has also set interim goals of planting 2.5 million trees by 2022 and 8 million by 2025. A project that has already promoted the planting of 3.4 million trees in seven countries between 2020 and 2023.

The Trees programme has three branches:

Natural heritage conservation, to mitigate and offset the loss of habitats caused by new infrastructures.

Regeneration and creation of natural value, to reverse the loss of forest mass through initiatives for planting on our own or on third-party sites.

Research and awareness-raising, through the company's Volunteer Programme and by backing R&D projects.

SEE INFOGRAPHIC: Iberdrola's Trees Programme [PDF] External link, opens in new window.

Committed to the environment and ecosystems

Pioneering the energy transition

Commitment to a clean, reliable and intelligent business model that replaces production with polluting sources with clean energy.

A benchmark in climate action

The fight against climate change has been at the heart of our strategy for profitable growth for more than two decades.

We respect the environment

We base our sustainable business model on the circular economy, based on emissions reduction, energy efficiency and resource optimisation.

We protect natural ecosystems

We integrate the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 14 and SDG 15, which focus on preserving life on land and underwater, into our strategy.