It took more than three decades to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 30 percent. But the ultimate goal cannot be achieved with current measures: it still has to be reduced by at least 25 percent. And in this seven years. That is why the cabinet presents 122 measures today. According to Climate Minister Rob Jetten, the Netherlands will look much greener in the coming years.
The basic idea is that the polluter must pay (more) for its emissions. Jetten said at a press conference this afternoon that some measures will stifle people. There is already energy poverty – more than 100,000 households have applied for emergency aid for their electricity bills – and many households are struggling with serious purchasing power problems.
Jetten: “An important requirement is fairness. Climate policy should work for everyone. We will provide extra cash for the biggest hits: We will make vulnerable neighborhoods with poor homes more sustainable faster and provide solar panels for housing cooperatives and rental homes.”
Leader
The measures primarily aim to reduce CO2 emissions in industry, mobility and power generation. At the pump, gasoline and diesel will become a few cents more expensive per liter due to the mandatory addition of biofuels. Everything to combat climate change and limit global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The €28 billion comes from the €35 billion climate and transition fund. In the coalition agreement, he wrote that this should make the Netherlands “a leader in Europe in the fight against global warming in the coming decades”. Jetten: “The Netherlands lags behind for a long time, we were the dirtiest kid in the class.
picture of the future
Sustainability organization Urgenda has ordered the Netherlands to do more to reduce its CO2 emissions. They are happy today. “This is a very nice first big step. I think it’s bigger than ever,” says Marjan Minnesma, director of Urgenda.
But the cabinet isn’t quite there yet, says Minnesma. “As a next step, I would like the cabinet to explain exactly what the Netherlands will look like in the future. It’s not just a long list of measures, percentages, and difficult words, but a clear picture of where the journey is headed. A picture of the future. That drives people away.”
Less happy faces in the industry. The energy sector should be carbon-neutral by 2035. In industry, the government wants to reduce emissions by another 5 megatonnes by 2030. We’d love this, but it’s not possible “because there are no prerequisites,” says VEMW, master of large-scale industrial consumers.
without energy
Industry lobbyist Hans Grünfeld: “If you as a company want to replace your gas boiler with an electric one, you need to be connected to the electricity grid.” Network operators now advise companies working on electrification almost all over the world. There is no capacity on the grid in the Netherlands.”
It sees network operators as Jetten’s responsibility to reach climate targets and make deals. “It is incomprehensible that the government has announced drastic measures against the industry and, just as importantly, neglected to streamline the infrastructure.”
Jetten: “The green here is better than the gray elsewhere. We invite companies to be more sustainable. We organize this electricity as well.” The minister says the government is offering help with good climate plans. “Infrastructure is being built faster.”
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The plans do not include a meat tax, have no deadlines for fossil fuel subsidies, and are still unclear on how to tackle agriculture. And what’s hard for many to understand: trains are getting more expensive and running fewer times.
“There was a wide variety of measures we could take,” Jetten says. Regarding agriculture: “With the agriculture agreement, we will get that right at once. We’ll give it some time, but if that doesn’t happen, we’ll do politics.”
Globally, the Netherlands contributes 0.5 percent to global CO2 emissions. This cannot be expressed in degrees of temperature rise. Jetten says it’s a commitment that the Netherlands wants to do much to reduce emissions as China and India open coal-fired power plants after coal-fired power plants. “We also have our signature under the Paris climate agreement. We need to move forward as a prosperous country. Let’s assume this leadership for a healthier world.”
The climate plan has the support of coalition parties in the House of Representatives, but has yet to pass the Senate, where the cabinet does not have a majority.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
