UNE standards, key tools for tackling climate challenge

​​​​The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, held the meeting "The response of standards to climate challenge" at the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAI) in Madrid, in which it reported on the existence of 17 UNE standards that support organisations in their climate objectives. The event, which was inaugurated by Antonio Colino and Carlos Esteban, presidents of RAI and UNE, respectively, was in line with the topics discussed at the Climate Summit held in Egypt this month, where ISO and national bodies focused on achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In the face of this challenge, technical norms or standards are useful and reliable tools for reducing emissions, adapting to the effects of climate change and aligning adequate financing to achieve these goals. "The development of standards is a key tool with which organisations can move from commitment to action and achieve not only their environmental goals but also a measurable impact," said Javier García, UNE Director General and ISO Vice President-elect, during his speech on the London Declaration, which was accepted together with ISO to reinforce the contribution of international standards to climate action and the drive for a green transition.

Developments in standardisation for climate action were the focus of this conference, in which the speakers presented their vision on the conclusions of the COP27, adaptation to climate change, sustainable finance and zero emissions. Moderated by Iván Moya, coordinator of Ecological Transition at UNE; and with the participation of Teresa Solana, advisory member of the General Directorate of the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OECC); Efrén Feliu, Climate Change Adaptation Manager at TECNALIA; and Fernando Segarra, AENOR's Technical Climate Change Coordinator.

"The combination of net zero emissions standards, climate change adaptation and sustainable finance provides organisations with robust tools to achieve their climate goals. In this sense, the new 'Guidelines for net zero' standard is an important turning point in meeting these challenges, as it ensures a common understanding and provides an impetus for uniform application", underlined Iván Moya, UNE's coordinator for Ecological Transition. With the exceptional endorsement of ISO, this document has been made open access. It is available on the UNE website.​

At the end of the meeting, the attendees will be offered coffee. ​

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