News item | 11-30-2022 | 15:41
CO2 emissions in greenhouse horticulture will be significantly reduced in the coming years. To this end, the Ministries of Agriculture, Economic Affairs and Climate and Finance have today signed the Covenant Energy Transition Greenhouse Horticulture 2022-2030 with the greenhouse horticulture sector. The parties will work on measures for energy saving and sustainability that are necessary for healthy and profitable greenhouse horticulture.
Greenhouse horticulture has the ambition to be a climate-neutral and economically profitable sector by 2040. Steps have already been taken to this end, such as the programme Greenhouse as energy source. With the signing of the covenant, the energy transition will be intensified. The impetus for this was given in the Climate Agreement of 2019.
Covenant
The covenant is based on the residual emission target for 2030 for greenhouse horticulture, which indicates the maximum emissions this sector may still emit. This has been provisionally set at 4.3 to 4.8 Mton CO2 equivalents. The goal is a larger reduction of 1.0 to 0.5 Mton and is therefore more ambitious than previous agreements, such as in the coalition agreement. The final residual emission target will be determined in the spring of 2023, when a number of missing measures have been worked out.
The agreement contains measures and the efforts of the parties to achieve the intended goal. This is done through stimulating measures, such as subsidies, infrastructure, an area-oriented approach via the Greenports, the Kas als Energiebron program for R&D and knowledge exchange. And through measures such as further pricing of CO2 emissions by adjusting the energy tax, improving the CO2 sector system after 2024 with an individual incentive and mandating energy-saving measures that can be earned back within five years.
Leading industry
This covenant is a follow-up to previous Long-Term Agreements in which the Kas als Energiebron program formed the core.
Piet Adema, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality: “I am extremely proud of gas horticulture in the Netherlands. The sector is a global leader in sustainable production. But I am also aware of the great concerns that entrepreneurs have about the high gas prices. At the same time, we are jointly facing a major climate challenge in greenhouse horticulture. That is why this covenant is so important. We will strongly accelerate energy saving and sustainability in the coming years, so that the sector can become climate neutral by 2040 and remain a global leader.”
Minister Rob Jetten of Economic Affairs and Climate: “To make the Netherlands climate neutral, major changes are needed in all economic sectors. With this covenant we agree in concrete terms what the sector will do to become climate neutral and to make their energy mix more sustainable. The current energy crisis shows that we need to become more sustainable even faster. The Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector is known worldwide for its innovative character. By taking these steps towards climate neutrality, the sector remains internationally leading.”
State Secretary Marnix van Rij (Fiscal Affairs): “With this covenant we are taking a step towards greening the tax system. In this way, we help greenhouse horticulture towards a more sustainable future. It is about making the sector, which is important to the Netherlands, more sustainable.”