Dutch climate goals require “painful policy choices”

Citation

(2009), "Dutch climate goals require “painful policy choices”", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 10 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2009.24910cab.005

Dutch climate goals require “painful policy choices”

Article Type: News From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 10, Issue 3

The Netherlands has shown ambition by setting tough climate targets but it will need to make “potentially painful policy choices” and implement those policies swiftly if targets are to be achieved, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a recently released report. Meeting Dutch climate targets will require “effective government coordination” and a “phase shift in intensity of the policies and measures necessary to achieve them, the agency added. The Dutch 30 per cent reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions is more ambitious than EU goals. The IEA report also shows achieving The Netherlands” 20 per cent renewable energy target will be challenging given renewables currently represent only 3 per cent of the country's total energy consumption. The government should ensure climate and renewables targets complement each other because “the piling on of different targets” could prove counter-productive, according to the report.