Spain’s Collapse: How Net Zero and Socialism Turned a Holiday Paradise into a Dystopian Nightmare
Spain, once a beacon of sun-soaked holidays and vibrant culture, is grappling with a multifaceted crisis that threatens its social fabric and economic stability. From the sprawling encampments of homeless individuals at Madrid-Barajas Airport to the controversial push for renewable energy at the expense of agriculture, the country faces rising unemployment, anti-social behavior, and infrastructure challenges under its socialist government.
The Homelessness Crisis at Madrid-Barajas Airport
Madrid-Barajas Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, has become an unlikely epicenter of Spain’s housing crisis. Once a symbol of modern infrastructure, Terminal 4 now hosts hundreds of homeless individuals, transforming it into what some describe as a “hidden city.” Estimates suggest that between 370 and 500 people sleep in the airport nightly, a dramatic increase from just 40 a decade ago. This surge reflects a broader national trend, with Spain’s homeless population rising to approximately 40,000 by the end of 2024, a 7.2% increase from 2023, according to Caritas’ “No One Homeless 2024” campaign.
The demographic profile of these individuals is diverse. Many are foreign-born, with 83% of homeless people under 30 being immigrants, predominantly from the Maghreb (33%), the EU (27%), and South America (18%). Among older homeless individuals, native Spaniards dominate, often citing job loss and insufficient pensions as reasons for their plight. For example, a 67-year-old Spanish man at Barajas recounted losing his job after 50 years of employment, leaving him without savings or a pension to afford housing. Similarly, a Peruvian woman in her 60s, robbed of her documentation, survives on meager earnings that cannot cover Madrid’s exorbitant rents.
The housing crisis fueling this situation is stark. Over the past decade, rental prices in Spain have surged by 74%, with tenants spending 40% of their income on rent and utilities—far above the EU average of 27%. Madrid and Barcelona, the epicenters of this crisis, face intense competition for rentals, with 40 applicants per listing, according to Idealista. Spain’s social housing stock, at just 1.5% of total homes compared to the EU’s 9%, exacerbates the problem. Meanwhile, 3.8 million vacant properties—14% of the housing stock—are often owned by foreign investors, further limiting affordable options.
This crisis is not confined to Madrid. Similar scenes unfold at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, where around 100 people sleep nightly, and in Palma, Mallorca, where a violent incident involving a homeless man from El Salvador underscored the growing tensions. Reports of drug use, prostitution, and anti-social behavior, including an alleged sexual assault at Barajas, have heightened public concern. The airport’s operator, AENA, has announced plans to restrict access during low-traffic hours, requiring boarding passes for entry, but this measure risks displacing vulnerable individuals to less safe public spaces without addressing the root causes.
Anti-Social Behavior and Rising Tensions
The presence of homeless individuals at airports has coincided with a reported rise in anti-social behavior across Spain in 2025. At Barajas, airport workers describe a “lawless city” marked by litter, foul odors, and incidents of theft and drug use. Trade unions have reported homeless individuals engaging in disruptive behaviors, such as using check-in counters inappropriately or walking naked through terminals. These issues, while not universal among the homeless population, have strained relations with airport staff and travelers.
Nationwide, Spain’s high unemployment rate—11% overall and 25% for those under 25, the highest in Europe—has fueled social unrest. The economic strain is palpable in cities like Madrid, where young professionals like Jorge Calero, a credit controller, share apartments due to unaffordable housing. “The housing situation is a disgrace,” Calero says, echoing the frustration of many who feel trapped by low wages and scarce job opportunities. This economic precarity has contributed to a 25% increase in shanty towns and slums over the past decade, further visible in urban areas.
Migration, another contentious issue, has added to the social strain. With nearly one in five of Spain’s 49 million residents born abroad, including 900,000 from Morocco, public sentiment is shifting. A 2024 poll by El País found that 57% of Spaniards believe immigration levels are excessive, a departure from the country’s historically liberal stance. The socialist government’s efforts to streamline migrant integration and residency processes have sparked backlash, particularly as economic resources remain stretched.
Anti-tourist protests in Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands reflect these tensions. In 2024, Spain welcomed 94 million international tourists, but the boom in short-term rentals like Airbnb has reduced long-term housing availability, driving up costs. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s proposal to impose a 100% tax on foreign holiday home purchases aims to address this, but critics argue it fails to tackle the underlying shortage of affordable housing.
The Impact of Net Zero Policies on Infrastructure and Agriculture
Spain’s aggressive pursuit of Net Zero goals has drawn both praise and criticism, with recent events exposing vulnerabilities in its energy and agricultural sectors. In April 2025, a nationwide blackout lasting 23 hours disrupted communications, transportation, and commerce, leaving hospitals and banks offline and causing three deaths. Experts, including former Red Eléctrica chairman Jordi Sevilla, attribute the outage to an overreliance on renewable energy sources, which account for over 50% of Spain’s electricity. The grid’s insufficient capacity to handle fluctuations, coupled with limited interconnections to France (only 3% of installed capacity against the EU’s 15% target), exacerbated the crisis.
The blackout highlighted broader infrastructure challenges. Spain’s push for renewables, including solar and wind, is part of a €40.4 billion plan under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, aiming for 81% green electricity by 2030. However, critics argue that the rapid transition has outpaced investments in grid stability and storage. Antonio Turiel, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, warns of the “haphazard integration” of renewables, citing a lack of technical foresight. Allegations of a cover-up regarding the blackout’s causes, including an experiment to test renewable capacity limits, have further eroded public trust.
In agriculture, Spain’s green policies have sparked controversy. In Valencia, the Requiem in Power project plans to install 6,600 solar panels over cemetery graves, a move criticized for its insensitivity, as relatives were not consulted. In Jaén, a 900-hectare solar park has displaced 100 olive farmers, with 40,000 olive trees slated for removal. Agricultural advocate Natalia Corbalan of SOS Rural condemns the project, noting that farmers receive minimal compensation—around €3,000 per hectare—and face pressure to relinquish land under threat of expropriation. “This is irreversible damage to fertile land,” Corbalan warns, highlighting risks to food security in a country still recovering from the COVID-19 supply chain disruptions.
Spain’s agricultural sector, a cornerstone of its economy, faces broader challenges. The country’s irrigation systems, critical for crops like olives and citrus, are outdated, with digitalization and water management upgrades lagging. The EU’s REPowerEU plan allocates €7.4 billion for clean technologies, but critics argue that insufficient focus on modernizing irrigation and protecting arable land threatens long-term sustainability. The blackout and flooding in Valencia, which killed over 200 people in November 2024, underscored the need for resilient infrastructure, yet the socialist government’s policies have prioritized renewable energy over holistic planning.
Socialist Policies and Their Broader Implications
Since taking power in 2018, Pedro Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) has pursued progressive policies that critics argue have deepened Spain’s crises. The Minimum Vital Income (IMV) program, introduced in 2020 to combat poverty, has faced criticism for high rejection rates and bureaucratic inefficiencies, leaving many vulnerable individuals without support. Human Rights Watch’s 2022 report highlighted failures in Spain’s social security system, noting that despite efforts, the government struggled to ensure adequate living standards during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation.
Infrastructure investments have also drawn scrutiny. The PSOE’s focus on construction projects during the economic recovery, as outlined in the Plan EEE, favored male-dominated sectors like construction, employing only 1.9% of women compared to 16% of men. This gender disparity, coupled with cuts to social services, has disproportionately affected women, who constitute 77% of part-time workers due to caregiving responsibilities. The government’s housing reforms, including a 2023 law to cap rent increases and strengthen tenant rights, have been slow to address the shortage of public housing, leaving many priced out of the market.
The push for Net Zero, while aligned with EU climate goals, has strained Spain’s economy and infrastructure. The €22 billion ICO Green Line and €6.9 billion REPowerEU investments aim to decarbonize the energy sector, but the lack of experienced leadership—such as Red Eléctrica’s Beatriz Corredor, a political appointee with no energy expertise—has raised concerns about mismanagement. The Valencia floods, attributed partly to inadequate infrastructure and climate adaptation measures, further exposed the government’s prioritization of ideological goals over practical resilience.
A Warning for Britain and Beyond
Spain’s challenges offer a sobering lesson for nations like the United Kingdom, where similar progressive policies are gaining traction. The Labour government’s commitment to Net Zero, led by figures like Ed Miliband, mirrors Spain’s renewable energy ambitions. However, Spain’s experience underscores the risks of rapid transitions without robust infrastructure. The UK’s energy grid, already strained, could face similar vulnerabilities if renewable integration outpaces grid upgrades. Likewise, Spain’s housing crisis, driven by speculative investment and short-term rentals, parallels London’s affordability challenges, where 43% of renters spend over a third of their income on housing.
The rise in anti-social behavior and public discontent in Spain also resonates with growing concerns in the UK about crime and social cohesion. Spain’s high unemployment, particularly among youth, serves as a cautionary tale for countries grappling with economic stagnation and labor market challenges. The UK’s youth unemployment rate, at 12% in 2024, is lower than Spain’s but still significant, and policies that fail to address job creation could exacerbate social tensions.
Spain’s descent into crisis is not irreversible, but it requires a balanced approach that addresses housing, employment, migration, and infrastructure holistically. Increasing social housing stock, streamlining social security access, and investing in resilient energy and agricultural systems are critical steps. For other nations, Spain’s struggles highlight the need for pragmatic policies that prioritize economic stability and social welfare alongside environmental goals. As Britain and others navigate their own paths, Spain’s cautionary tale underscores the importance of learning from others’ mistakes to avoid a similar fate.
