Environmental Consequences of the Community Support Framework 1994–99 in Spain

In this article we consider the energy and environmental implications of the extra GDP growth that the CSF, for the period 1994–99, is capable of entailing. In doing so, we have developed an illustration of the so-called three Es approach: economy–energy–environment. The extra growth induced by the CSF package and its incremental effects on energy consumption and CO₂ emissions have been evaluated against an energy–economy baseline provided by the HERMIN-Spain model and the Spanish energy plan (PEN). The most salient aspect of the analysis performed is that the energy-saving and emission-cutting margins embodied in the so-called PEN scenario (due to energy substitution and energy efficiency) are rapidly exhausted when growth accelerates, for example, due to a CSF like shock. However, these margins also reveal the promising prospects of progrowth strategies with high energy-efficiency content.