News item | 02-06-2022 | 12:00
The Netherlands has great climate ambitions. By 2030, the CO2emissions in the Netherlands have fallen by at least 55%, as a prelude to a climate neutral Netherlands by 2050. To achieve this, the government is presenting the climate policy program† The policy program is aimed at 60% CO2reduction in 2030 and describes the main points of the policy for the coming years. In this way, the government provides direction for the transitions that are necessary for climate neutrality in 2050.
With a view to the climate goals and the court decision in the Urgenda case, the cabinet wants to reduce the CO2significantly reduce emissions and accelerate the necessary transitions towards climate neutrality. The policy is aimed at making the five sectors more sustainable: electricity, mobility, industry, the built environment and agriculture & land use. In order to make the necessary transition in each of these sectors a success, it is also necessary to focus on themes such as circularity, innovation, citizen involvement and employment. The policy in each sector is based on a mix of instruments that ensure that the Netherlands will switch to sustainable alternatives: subsidizing (such as subsidies for insulation in homes, the generation of sustainable energy and the purchase of an electric car), standards (such as the mandatory installation of hybrid heat pumps from 2026 and solar panels on large roofs from 2025) and pricing (such as tightening the CO2levy for industry and the increase in the air passenger tax). This policy mix makes sustainable technologies more attractive (financially) and households, companies and social organizations are encouraged and helped to opt for the sustainable alternative.
Rob Jetten, Minister for Climate and Energy: “Our ambition is clear: we want to live in a climate-neutral, fossil-free and circular Netherlands by 2050 at the latest. But to achieve that, we can now lose no more time. We will have to produce, consume, travel, live and generate energy in a fundamentally different way. Moreover, the choices that are necessary for this must be made now. This policy program will ensure that the necessary transitions are accelerated in the coming years, that we focus more closely on the implementation of agreements and that polluting activities receive a fairer price.”
Direction
The cabinet has decided to strengthen the direction of climate policy. The government will set a residual emission target for all sectors, which makes it clear how many emissions that sector may still emit in 2030. The ministers involved will be responsible for achieving this goal in their own sector and the coordinating Minister for Climate and Energy monitors the progress and coherence of the implementation of the entire climate policy. The government will also appoint a Climate Council this autumn, following the example of the Climate Change Committee in the United Kingdom. This independent scientific advisory board will consist of 8-10 members who will assess and advise on climate policy. The Climate Council will deliver its first advice on climate neutrality in 2050 in the second half of 2023. Because the climate transition has consequences for future generations, the government is working out a generation test to assess the impact of measures and policy proposals on the living conditions of generations in the present and in the future. the future is made clear. A version will be available before the summer that will be tested on the basis of one of the measures from the policy programme.
Continuation
The government believes it is important to hear ideas from society. That is why a public consultation will start in June. As of today, people can respond to the policy program via www.internetconsultatie.nl/beleidprogramma_climate† The Council of State is also asked for advice. After going through these steps, the policy program is established. The calculation by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in the Climate and Energy Outlook 2022, which will be published in the autumn, should show whether the policy program can reduce at least 55% CO2reduction in 2030 with a high degree of certainty. In the coming months, the government will map out which additions to the policy program are conceivable and prepare options for further decision-making by the government.