Prospective study for a transition process towards Sustainability in Catalonia

Abstract

The present work constitutes a master thesis (TFM), and its main objectives are to sort for conditions of sustainability in Catalonia; to develop sustainability at local level; to link oil derived fuels use with territorial aspects proposing and Oil Derived Fuels Dependence Index for Catalan Municipalities (ODFDICM); and presenting Oil Derived Fuels Vulnerability Maps as a results of the projections made for all Catalan municipalities. The data donated by the Catalan Institute (IDESCAT) was used to shape the Catalan Territory as a Geographical Information System study case (GIS). As a result the agrarian vulnerability maps were generated together with the industrial vulnerability maps for each sector of industrial activity; the domestic gas use vulnerability map; the mobility vulnerability map; the social labor distribution vulnerability maps; the forest vulnerability map in order to establish vulnerability zones for energy use. Since oil derived fuels are proved to be widely used in the industrial system, transport system, domestic sector, services sector, the proposition made was to create an INDEX that presents variation with those sectors. The final INDEX (ODFDICM) is presented in maps and in tables for each municipality and will take in consideration the population density as an indicator of domestic gas use; industrial density as an indicator of industrial energy demand; number of vehicles per person as an indicator of mobility energy demand; planted hectares per person as an indicator of energy production; pasture area per person as an indicator of energy production; area of forests as an indicator of carbon sinks. The final results will be commented in study cases and proposition will be made for implementing a more sustainable future in Catalonia. These essay will discuss also issues such as energy use; energy production; energy system; transport system; food production sectors; industrial sectors; social labor distribution.