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Madrid positions itself as Spain’s climate capital with record air-quality results
During the citiES 2030 course in Santander, Madrid presented its progress in urban sustainability and marked three consecutive years of meeting European clean-air standards.
Madrid has used a high-level forum to reaffirm its role as a leading city in the fight against climate change. This Monday 14 July, at the citiES 2030 summer course organised by Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Santander, Madrid City Council shared its latest environmental achievements within its Madrid 360 strategy.
The delegate councillor for Limpieza y Zonas Verdes, José Antonio Martínez Páramo, set out with figures in hand that the capital has managed to meet the levels required by the Unión Europea for nitrogen dioxide for three consecutive years, a milestone that contrasts with the situation only five years ago, when Madrid faced a European pollution proceeding. Among the pillars of this transformation are low-emission zones, the promotion of electric vehicles, the recovery of natural settings within the urban core and renewed waste management based on the circular economy. According to municipal data, in 2024 no monitoring station exceeded the threshold of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of NO2, thus moving the city away from the risk of new sanctions.
The forum, focused on how Spanish cities can advance towards climate neutrality without losing competitiveness, served to show that Madrid has not only charted a clear roadmap but is already reaping results. Through its presence, the capital sought not only recognition but also to influence the national urban agenda as a model of ecological transition.