Updated June 25, 2018

Spain

• The country's nuclear moratorium enacted in 1983 halted the creation of enough nuclear power to replace all of the coal it now burns for electricity.

• The loss of the Santa Maria de Garoña nuclear plant was a significant step backwards for Spain’s climate goals - the fossil fuels used to replace the plant’s power will increase emissions the carbon equivalent of almost a million new cars on the road in Spain. 

• The need to pay for tens of billions of dollars for renewable energy caused electricity prices to rise from below average before 2009 to among the highest in Europe. 

• Climate scientists including James Hansen, along with other concerned scientists, conservationists, and environmentalists have urged Spanish policymakers and other leaders to protect the country's nuclear plants.