Today in Zaragoza, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and the Environment of the Government of Aragon, Modesto Lobón, and the General Manager of the  Gas  Natural Fenosa Foundation, Pedro Fábregas opened the seminar "Climate change, agriculture and energy efficiency in rural environments, "which analysed the impact of agricultural and livestock  activities on climate change.

Moreover, the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation and the Government of Aragon, through its Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and the Environment, took advantage of the seminar to sign an agreement to carry out activities that help raise awareness and promote energy efficiency and the rational use of energy in the Community. The agreement, which will last four years, includes actions of environmental interest in the field of energy saving and efficient energy use, environmental protection and combating climate change in the Autonomous Community of Aragon.

Impacts on the countryside

The session, organised at the initiative of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation and the Government of Aragon, was divided into three distinct parts. In the first, the impact of agricultural activities and livestock on climate change and actions to be taken to reduce this impact was analysed.

The technical manager of the Department of Agricultural Economics of the coordinator of the farmers’ and livestock holders’ organisations, the COAG, Felipe Medina, outlined the proposals of the professional agricultural organisations to reduce climate change, in addition to suggesting policies and strategies to improve energy efficiency in the countryside.

The scientific director of the Research Institute on Climate Change I2C2, María José Sanz, pointed out in her speech the importance of implementing effective measures to respond to the climate and strengthen existing systems for agricultural monitoring and evaluation. Along these lines, she gave as an example a program of work initiated under the Framework Convention on Climate Change United Nations on agriculture, which will address technical scientific issues related to adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

Finally, the Director General of Agricultural Production of the Government of Aragon, Jesús Nogues, indicated that latest reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy have emphasised the ability to generate public welfare by agriculture and their effect on maintaining the environment and rural landscape.

New sources of energy based on agriculture

In the second part of the seminar, different energy sources based on agriculture were evaluated. The head of Promotion, Exploitation, Cogeneration and Biomass of Gas Natural Fenosa Renovables, Francisco López, evaluated the conditions under which agricultural biomass can be a viable energy source both economically and environmentally. He explained that the company works, through its La Energía company, in promoting these initiatives based on forest raw materials and livestock purine.

Moreover, the Manager for New Technologies from SODEMASA, Arturo Daudén, also noted that slurry is an effective means to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases associated with manure management.

The suppoer of the Government of Aragon

In the last part, the Director General of Energy and Mines of the Department of Industry and Innovation of the Government of Aragon, Marina Sevilla, and the Director General of Environmental Quality of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and the Environment of the Government of Aragon, Pilar Molinero, closed the seminar. It was attended by over 160 technical and business professionals from farming and livestock companies, particularly from companies in energy management, and representatives of various local government offices, specialised researchers and academics.

The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation

With this initiative, the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation continues to develop its activity aimed at promoting information, education and awareness of society of the improvement in energy efficiency and technological innovation in the field of energy consistent with the respect for and preservation of the environment.