Enough has been written about the recently reached Climate Agreement and in whichever article you analyse, because many people see things from their own perspective, we discover a number of common threads:
- There are now more action-oriented plans, even though not all proposals are adequate in our perception. But it is a start and let’s get started as time is running out.
- Built Environment: by 2050, 7 million homes and 1 million buildings must be off natural gas. This means insulating and using sustainable heat and electricity. As a first step, the Dutch Cabinet states, that the first 1.5 million existing homes must be made sustainable by 2030. In 2021, the municipalities will know which district is next, and when. Residents must be involved. So we are talking here about residents- activation, participation, and communication.
- Agriculture and land use: To be climate neutral in agriculture and land use in 2050, a lot must be done. Part of the greenhouse gas emissions cannot be avoided. Cows produce methane. The sector also captures CO2: in trees, soil and grass. That in turn contributes to the reduction target. Many parties therefore have a role to play in the approach; farmers, site managers, food processors, suppliers, supermarkets and NGOs. So also here a clear bottom-up involvement of organizations is essential.
- Electricity: In 2030, 70% of all electricity will come from renewable sources. This will be done with wind turbines at sea, on land and with solar panels on roofs and in solar parks. The demand for electricity is growing; eg. cars become electric, the industry opts for clean electricity, buildings are freed from natural gas and will therefore need more electricity. Many measures are needed to keep delivery reliable. And the recent experienced problems that network operators cannot connect new solar parks to the network sufficiently and quickly enough is in stark contrast to this clear objective. We should realise that during the last 10+ years sufficient attention has been requested for smart and sufficient network connections due to the implementation of sustainability measures. Hence effective cooperation is needed between network operators, energy cooperations and neighbourhood associations.
- Industry: In 2050, the industry will be circular and will virtually no longer emit any greenhouse gases. The factories will then run on sustainable electricity from sun and wind or energy from geothermal energy, hydrogen and biogas. The raw materials come from biomass, residual flows and gases. The residual heat is used by industry itself or it is supplied to horticulture or buildings and homes. In addition to being an energy user, the industry is also a producer and buffer of energy. By 2030, the industry must already emit considerably less CO2. In this context, there is much talk about CO2 charges, including the current functioning of the ETS system. However, there is still a lot of innovation needed and, among other things, subsidies are needed. In addition, it is essential not to lose sight of the level playing field of the industry at the international level. After all, we are not alone. We can still be the best kid in the classroom, which can ultimately result in little value for everyone.
- Mobility: A lot of effort is being put into creating a sustainable mobility system: mobility without emissions (without harmful exhaust gases), with excellent attainability and accessible to citizens and businesses. There are still quite a number discussions in this area; eg. do the latest plans provide enough guidance and direction? We will continue to inform readers about this; reference is made, among other things, to the Formula E team’s response to the Cabinet’s proposal due to a downward revision of the action perspective; read more ….