News item | 07-10-2022 | 15:30
The Netherlands will increase its climate support to developing countries to at least 1.8 billion euros per year by 2025. More than 900 million euros of this is public money. The rest are private climate investments made possible thanks to public support. Extra attention will be paid to collaborations that help countries adapt to the consequences of climate change. The Netherlands is doubling its public contribution to this so-called climate adaptation to half a billion euros. To this end, the cabinet has for the first time established a government-wide International Climate Strategy on the initiative of Minister Schreinemacher for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and Minister Jetten for Climate and Energy.
Urgency calls for more action
The latest report from the UN climate panel IPCC shows that the Paris goals are not being achieved with the current global climate plans. All countries must do more to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. At a national level, the Netherlands already has major climate ambitions: at least a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 as a prelude to a climate-neutral Netherlands by 2050. With the international climate strategy, the government is also translating the urgency for more climate action into increased efforts abroad.
Minister Schreinemacher: “Climate change is a problem for all of us. Everything we do in our own country for the climate is like a drop in the ocean if other countries do not want to participate. Or they can’t participate because they don’t have the resources to do so. It is therefore necessary to seek cooperation with other countries. The role and added value of Dutch companies, universities and social organizations is essential to me in this. They have knowledge and come up with excellent solutions. For example, how to deal with extreme rainfall or drought. By increasing our support, we want to encourage other countries inside and outside the EU to do the same.”
Minister Jetten: “The pain of climate change is unfairly distributed. Vulnerable countries, which are often historically responsible for only a small part of global CO2 emissions, are often the first to notice the effects of drought and flooding. The Netherlands and other rich countries have a special responsibility to help these countries as well. That is why the government is increasing climate support for developing countries and we are accelerating the transition to sustainable energy beyond our national borders by entering into energy partnerships.”
Fewer greenhouse gases and more resilient societies
Reducing CO2 emissions is crucial in the reinforced effort. Among other things, the Netherlands will double its financial contribution to the protection of the tropical rainforest to 50 million euros in 2025, in order to contribute to global carbon storage. The Netherlands is also allocating extra money for clean energy in developing countries, thereby helping to double the number of people with access to renewable energy to 100 million people by 2030. In addition, the Netherlands spends more than half of its public climate funding on adaptation. This helps developing countries to adapt to a changing climate, for example through safe deltas and climate-smart agriculture. Even with a warming of less than 1.5 degrees Celsius, adaptation is essential.
Dutch knowledge and skills
Dutch companies and knowledge institutions have a lot of expertise in the field of solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen and sustainable mobility. The new policy will respond better to this in the coming years. By encouraging Dutch companies to invest in low- and middle-income countries, the Netherlands helps the development of the countries and gives Dutch companies access to promising markets. For example, the government is developing energy partnerships in countries with great potential for hydrogen, so that the energy transition can be accelerated locally and some of that energy can be exported.
Climate Summit in Egypt
The priorities in the international climate strategy give direction to the Dutch efforts during the next international climate summit COP27. The cabinet has also informed the House of Representatives about the commitment to the COP. The summit will take place in Egypt between November 6 and 18.