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The Dutch Cabinet has not only achieved its climate targets for the year 2010, but it is alsowell on its way to realising its CO2 reduction and renewable energy targets for 2011. Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased in recent years and will continue to drop in the years to come. The substantial increase in the proportion of energy from renewable sources will bring about a break in the trend of fossil-fuel consumption over the next decade. However, the next cabinet will need to take additional measures in order to achieve the targets for 2020. These are the most significant conclusions reached by the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), on evaluating the Cabinet's environmental targets. Today, Minister Tineke Huizinga of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) sent the interim figures to the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament on behalf of the Cabinet.

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Energy efficiency insufficient

It is highly likely that the Cabinet will achieve its 2011 targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the percentage of energy from renewable sources. However, additional policy is needed to achieve the 2020 targets. Most sectors, such as the agriculture and horticulture and transport industries, are on schedule with the 2011 targets and are well on their way to achieving the 2020 targets. However, the interim figures demonstrate that the Netherlands is behind when it comes to energy efficiency. Under the current policy, it will not be possible to achieve the target of improving energy efficiency by an average of two percent per year by 2020. However, the years 2008 and 2009 did represent a turning point: improvements were implemented in nearly 350,000 homes. Therefore, although there is evidence of a break in the trend of fossil-fuel consumption, it is not happening quickly enough.

Commissioned by VROM, the ECN conducted a study into possible additional policy measures to ensure the Netherlands achieves the 2020 climate targets. Subsequent cabinets could, for instance, opt to introduce more measures obliging businesses (including energy companies), homeowners and housing corporations to conserve energy. A list with possible additional measures was enclosed with the Letter to the Lower House.

Environmental covenants serve as springboard

In addition to evaluating the climate targets, the study also looked at the potential impact of covenants agreed with market parties and other government authorities. In recent years, the national government has signed covenants setting out climate agreements with municipalities, provinces, water boards, employers' organisations, civil-society organisations and businesses. The study concluded that these covenants have generated momentum between the government and market parties that has helped the Netherlands achieve the targets.

Environmental targets

The Cabinet wants to make the Netherlands one of the cleanest and most energy-efficient countries in Europe. How it will go about this is outlined in the policy programme ‘New energy for the climate' (‘Nieuwe energie voor het klimaat'). By 2020, the Netherlands must have reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, increased the rate of energy efficiency from an average of 1 percent to 2 percent per year and increased the percentage of sustainable energy to 20 percent of total consumption. Innovation plays a key role in the policy programme: it is hoped that the development of numerous innovation programmes will make a significant contribution towards reducing CO2 emissions.

Source: VROM