Climate change in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has the fourth largest greenhouse gas emissions per capita of the European Union,[2] in part due to the large number of cows.
[7] In the Netherlands, scientists consider the continued increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere as the main cause of climate change.
In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Dutch government takes mitigation measures and cooperates with non-state actors.
In this act the Dutch government stated that it wants to reduce the Netherlands' greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and a 95% reduction by 2050.
[12][13] This Green Deal is a growth strategy to transform the EU in a climate neutral and circular economy, while preserving Europe's competitiveness.
The Netherlands pushes for a quick completion of these negotiations, while maintaining the overall ambition of the proposals to ensure it continues to add up to 55 percent reduction.
[12] The following table shows the yearly total emission of greenhouse gas in the Netherlands in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-equivalent), and values for EU27 and the world for comparison.
The following table shows the yearly total emission of greenhouse gas in the Netherlands in tonnes of carbon dioxide per capita, and values for EU27 and the world for comparison.
That same year, global carbon dioxide emissions from Shell stood at around 58 million metric tons in total.
Emission intensity is a measure of how much greenhouse gas is emitted per euro of gross domestic product (GDP).
The total production of all electric energy producing facilities is 118 bn kWh, which is 107% of the country's own usage.
[32] The KNMI researched that in the worst-case scenario sea levels would increase 54–121 cm in 2100 that would happen if the CO2 emissions would double by 2050 and at the end of the century temperature would have risen to 4.4 °C.
Other bigger and more advanced structures such as the Maeslantkering, a storm surge barrier controlled by a computer to automatically close if the Rotterdam port is threatened by a flood, have been constructed as safety measures.
The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC's) are the plans to fight climate change adapted for each country.
As an interim target to the climate act the Netherlands must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050 compared to 1990.
The organization Nedvang (Nederland van afval naar grondstof or The Netherlands from waste to value) was set up in 2005.
[37] In their joint political declaration released on May 11, 2020, the ministers address the potential of renewable hydrogen to play a part in the decarbonization of the energy system and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 in line with the Paris agreement.
[38] NSEC was established in 2016 and is a collaboration between eight EU countries, in addition to Norway and the European Commission, to expand renewable energy production by the development of an offshore grid system.
The Netherlands, along with the Philippines and Japan and United Nations Environment, launched the Global Centre of Excellence on Climate Adaptation in 2017.
As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, the Government of the Netherlands initiated a plan to establish over 200 recharging stations for electric vehicles across the country.
The rollout will be undertaken by Switzerland-based power and automation company ABB and Dutch startup Fastned, and will aim to provide at least one station within a 50-kilometre radius (30 miles) from every home in the Netherlands.
The agreement is supposed to be valid during 2021 - 2025 and address several commitments regarding adaptation to climate change in the Netherlands.
The governmental efforts includes a €35-billion Climate and Transition fund to help expand necessary infrastructure for energy production and implement a new green industrial policy.
[41] Describes how the Dutch government, in cooperation with the rest of society, can maintain an adequate fresh water supply, ensure resilience against climate change and protect regions from flooding.
The programme covers three key issues: Includes research and measures to prevent damage caused by serious floods.
Additionally, climate change is projected to increase the risk of salinization and waterlogging due to heavy rainfall which might impact the availability of fresh water.
Measures applied focus partly on waterlogging and efficiency in fresh water availability and distribution related to land use, which also puts it in collaboration with the Delta Plan on Spatial Adaptation.
[47] The European Commission released a report in 2019 which found that 74% of Dutch people see climate change as a severe problem.
The Social Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP) found that Climate Change was the second biggest concern from the Dutch public.
A majority of the respondents wants that COVID-19 financial relief packages should also have the goal to make the Netherlands sustainable in a faster pace.
