Too many cars, waste, and energy consumption for such a small territory
One of the challenges for 2026 is to correct a production model that will lead the Islands to breach international agreements.
PalmEnergy demand is a key indicator of resource consumption, and in the Balearic Islands, it continues to rise at a rate that experts consider unsustainable. In October 2025, consumption reached 413,700 MWh, 7.9% more than the previous year, and the cumulative figure for January-November rose by 3.9%. This sustained trend shows that the Balearic Islands are unable to break free from an inertia based on shattering resource consumption records, even with the massive incorporation of self-consumption solar systems. The Islands face 2026 with the urgent need to revise their production and territorial model, because otherwise, the climate targets for 2030 and 2050 will be difficult to achieve.
According to Pau de Vílchez, president of the Balearic Islands' Committee of Experts for Energy Transition and Climate Change, changing the current system requires more than just focusing on efficiency and decarbonization, which, while essential, "are not enough." "Reducing consumption is key to achieving a just transition and addressing climate change. Combating climate change means reducing consumption, not just switching energy sources." De Vílchez points out that the Balearic Islands are particularly vulnerable to heat waves, water scarcity, and territorial pressures, all of which amplify the impact of every resource consumed.
Mobility, key
The consumption-based model is reflected in mobility and waste. The archipelago has nearly one vehicle per inhabitant. In 2024, 378,609 vehicles entered through the ports of Palma and Alcúdia, 33% more than in 2019, according to data from a mobility study prepared by the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca). For this reason, the island's president, Llorenç Galmés, wants to follow the example of Ibiza and Formentera and limit the entry of vehicles by sea into Mallorca, but he has not secured the support of Vox, and months go by without clarifying the future of one of the flagship legislative proposals that Galmés wanted to submit to the Parliament. Rental cars—some days more than 75,000 are on the road at the same time—generate congestion and emissions, increasing the number of vehicles on the road and putting pressure on the roads, the land, and the air. "But let's not kid ourselves, there's an obsession with private cars in the Balearic Islands. Under the pretext that public transport isn't working perfectly, we drive to the corner store," quips an engineer from the administration who asked to remain anonymous. "A comprehensive change in the mobility model is essential to meet our emissions reduction obligations with any reasonable guarantee of success," notes GOB spokesperson Margalida Ramis.
The waste situation highlights another source of tension within the islands. The clearest example is Ibiza, where no island government has been able to approve a waste management plan, and tons of manure must be sent to Mallorca for treatment. This outsourcing generates "more energy consumption, emissions, and logistical complexity," criticizes GEN-GOB.
Another important challenge regarding waste is completing the removal of single-dose packaging, which is prohibited by law in the Balearic Islands. They are still used irregularly in hotels and restaurants, generating tons of waste that could be avoided. The implementation of the law that the Pact approved to end this system was interrupted during the pandemic, and its enforcement remains inconsistent, with the Administration not taking it seriously.
The great challenge of 2026 is the same as always: "To stop urban and residential growth, and to stop making it the driver of economic activity, because it feeds on what we don't have: land and resources," warns Neus Prats, spokesperson for GEN-GOB.
Even Menorca, which was an example of a relatively unfragmented territory, seems to want to join the development model that has been imposed on the other islands. The PP-Vox pact in the Menorcan Council had to withdraw a territorial plan that "was absurd and put an end to the consensus on the island's protection," recalls GOB spokesperson Miquel Camps. But there's no reason to believe there won't be another attempt.