Spanish Environmental Minister Teresa Ribera rode an electric bike to the informal Valladolid climate summit Tuesday while security escorted her in gas-powered vehicles she has previously said should be banned.
Ribera, the Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, drew backlash over a video of her arrival at the European Summit of Environment and Energy Ministers on an electric bike while escorted by a fossil fuel-powered convoy. (RELATED: Biden Poses In Electric Car That Has A Higher Carbon Footprint Than A Gas-Powered SUV)
Ribera allegedly arrived to the summit in a limousine before getting out of the car and riding the bike the last 100 meters, where she was photographed.
This is so surreal. The socialist Spanish minister uses a private jet to attend a climate conference. 100 metres before the venue she gets out off the limo and takes a bicycle. The security cars follow her. pic.twitter.com/NkSF3hJrOH
— David Vance (@DVATW) July 11, 2023
Officials from the conservative Partido Popular mocked the minister. “To go to the meeting on her bike, she went with an official car in front of her and another behind her, creating double the emissions, so people would take photos of her,” Pons Gonzalez tweeted. “How ridiculous, minister. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Para llegar en bici a la reunión ha ido con un coche oficial delante y otro detrás, emitiendo el doble de humo, para hacerle fotos.
Buscad el video, es para partirse.
El sanchismo también es postureo.
Qué ridículo, ministra, ¿no te da vergüenza parecer salida de Vota a Juan? https://t.co/yS2PopHLDH— González Pons (@gonzalezpons) July 10, 2023
Ribera has spoken before the C40 Cities Summit, whose agenda includes reducing meat consumption and private car ownership to zero and severely restricting air travel. She has also called for the banning of gas-powered vehicles and has urged consumers to switch to electric cars instead, according to El Indepentiente. The minister said in 2018 that “all cars must be zero emissions” by 2040 in order to decarbonize the economy by 2050. “The government has no doubts in that regard.” In March, she defended banning all gas cars by 2035. (RELATED: Former Biden Climate Czar Works For ‘Green’ Private Equity Firms)
A private jet belonging to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez flew from Madrid to Valladolid Monday, according to a website that tracks it’s flight history, but it was apparently for military use, with Ribera traveling to the climate summit by car.