Singh Garha, Nachatter2024-08-132024-08-132022-11-09Garha, N.S. From Decarbonization to Depopulation: An Emerging Challenge for the Carbon-Intensive Regions under the Energy Transition in Spain. Sustainability 2022, 14, 14786. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1422147862071-1050http://hdl.handle.net/2183/38564[Abstract] Since 1990, Spain has undergone a rapid decarbonization process focused on closing carbon-intensive facilities such as coal mines and coal-fired power plants and promoting renewable energy sources. These facilities have been the main source of income and employment in the regions where they were located, in addition to being a major source of carbon emissions. Their closure can have a huge impact on the socioeconomic and demographic composition of these carbon-intensive regions, damaging the social fabric and accelerating the process of depopulation. Based on a detailed analysis of policy documents and demographic data (from municipal registers and the 1991–2011 census), this article aims to: first identify and delineate the main carbon-intensive regions in Spain that are vulnerable to the negative impacts of the ongoing decarbonization process; second, examine the different policy responses and phases of the decarbonization process in Spain; and finally, examine the impact of the decarbonization process on the demographic (size, structure, and composition of the population) and socioeconomic configuration of the different carbon-intensive regions in Spain.engAtribución 3.0 España© 2022 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/DecarbonizationDepopulationCarbon-intensive regionsEnergy transition policySpainjournal articleopen access10.3390/su142214786