Netherlands and greenhouse gas emissions
The Netherlands has a complex relationship with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, heavily influenced by its historical context and environmental challenges. As a low-lying country with about 27 percent of its land below sea level, the threat of rising sea levels and flooding is a significant concern. The Netherlands' industrial activities, including petroleum refining and intensive agriculture, contribute notably to GHG emissions. Despite these challenges, the country has made concerted efforts to reduce emissions, achieving a 9.1 percent decrease from 1990 levels by 2012, which exceeded its Kyoto Protocol target.
The Netherlands is also a proactive participant in international climate agreements, ratifying the Paris Agreement and setting ambitious goals to cut GHG emissions by 95 percent by 2050. Flood control remains a priority, leading to major projects aimed at enhancing the country's defenses against climate-related threats. This includes raising dikes and developing technology for better flood monitoring and response. Overall, the Netherlands is navigating the dual pressures of economic activity and climate responsibility, striving for sustainability while managing the inherent risks of its geography.
Netherlands and greenhouse gas emissions
Historical and Political Context
By the seventeenth century, the Netherlands was playing a major role in the world’s economy. The creation of the Dutch East India Company established the country as one of the major seafaring and trading powers. The mercantile class became extremely influential in all aspects of the country’s life. The Netherlands’ major trade rival was England and the competition between the countries led to the Dutch Wars, which were resolved in 1667 by the Treaty of Breda. England recognized the Netherlands’ right to the Dutch East Indies. During this period, the Netherlands’ capital city of Amsterdam became the site of the first stock exchange and was recognized as the wealthiest trading city at the time. In 1652, the Netherlands had become a republic under Jan de Witt. In 1672, the French invaded the country and killed de Witt. This marked the beginning of a decline in the economic prosperity of the country, which lasted throughout the eighteenth century. From 1795 to 1815, the Netherlands was under French control as part of Napoleon’s Empire.
The Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century did not bring about rapid changes in the Netherlands, because the country relied heavily on waterways for transportation and on wind power for energy. Up to the time of World War II, the Netherlands maintained a neutrality and independence from its neighboring countries that adversely affected its economic prosperity. After the war, the country made a dramatic change in policy and began interacting with its neighbors; this new policy brought about renewed economic prosperity. The Netherlands became an important founding member of major international organizations including the Benelux, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Coal and Steel Community. As one of the fifteen founding members of the European Union, the Netherlands plays an important role in Europe’s economy and welfare.
Impact of Dutch Policies on Climate Change
Sea level, rising tides, and the potential of flooding have always been of major concern to the Netherlands since approximately 27 percent of its land lies below sea level. Throughout its history, the country has intervened to protect its land and inhabitants from encroachment by the sea and from flooding caused by overflowing rivers and rising sea levels. The industrialization of the Netherlands has adversely affected the country’s situation. With the exception of the natural gas fields near Sloctern, the country has few natural resources and the economy depends on manufacturing and processing for a considerable amount of its wealth. Petroleum refining, food processing, and chemical processing, along with the manufacture of electrical machinery, all increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This adds to global warming, which may raise sea levels and increase erratic weather patterns that may contribute to the overflow of rivers and flooding. This situation is worsened by the Netherlands’ use of intensive agriculture and horticulture, which produce more GHGs.
The coastline of the Netherlands has undergone considerable changes over the centuries. In 1134, a severe storm created the archipelago of Zeeland. In 1421, the Saint Elizabeth flood caused serious damage to the Netherlands. To combat these problems, the Dutch built polders and dikes to control the water levels and prevent disasters. There are three different kinds of polders, which are tracts of lowlands enclosed by dikes. The first is land reclaimed from a lake or the sea, the second is an area prone to flooding that is protected from the sea by dikes, and the third is a drained marsh separated from the surrounding water by dikes. Windmills are used to pump the excess water. Water bodies or home councils, which are groups independent of any government control, supervise the maintenance of the flood prevention systems.
In 1953, the Netherlands experienced one of its worst floods. The country put into effect the Delta Works, which raised 3,000 kilometers of outer sea dikes and 10,000 kilometers of canal and river dikes to a flood-prevention level and closed off the Zeeland sea estuaries.
Netherlands as a GHG Emitter
As a member of the European Union, the Netherlands ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. According to the data gathered by the European Environment Agency, the Netherlands emitted 213 million metric tons of GHGs in the base year of 1990. In 2006, the Netherlands had reduced its emissions to 207.5 million metric tons, ranking seventh among the EU27 and sixth among the EU15 as an emitter of GHGs. The burden-sharing target of the Netherlands under the Kyoto Protocol was -6 percent, to an annual average of 200.3 million metric tons of emissions between 2008 and 2012. From 2002 to 2006, the Netherlands produced an average of 213.6 million metric tons of GHG emissions, representing an increase of 0.3 percent. The country’s 2006 emissions, at 207.5 million metric tons, were 3 percent below its base year emissions but were still above its treaty target. In the 2000s and 2010s, policies continued in energy supply and use, as well as in transport and agriculture. By 2012, the Netherlands had reached its target goal, producing 195.2 million metric tons of GHG emissions, a decrease of 9.1 percent from 1990. GHG emissions remained around 195 million metric tons between 2012 and 2016. In 2017, the Netherlands ratified the Paris Agreement, which intensified the policies about limiting GHG emissions. The following year, it was announced that the Netherlands had drafted climate laws with the goal to reduce GHG emissions by 95 percent by 2050.
Summary and Foresight
The Netherlands exceeded its target of 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2012 by implementing carbon sink activities and using Kyoto mechanisms, specifically that of providing funds for projects reducing GHG emissions in other countries under the clean development mechanism.
In view of the prospects of continued global warming, the Netherlands is embarking upon a major flood-control project. Projected to continue to the year 2100, the project is estimated to cost about one billion Euros per year. At the core of the project is the planned raising of dikes and reinforcing of storm barriers. Many different approaches are being considered, from amelioration of the protection from the sea at major ports, especially Rotterdam, to extending the coastline of the North Sea as much as 1 kilometer by dumping millions of metric tons of sand into the ocean. The Netherlands is also working to use technology to protect the country from floods. A system of sensors to determine the stability of the dikes is being developed to replace the human volunteers who carry out the inspection. The Netherlands is also working with International Business Machines (IBM) to create software that can analyze weather, provide early warning of flood threats, and help coordinate plans for evacuation. The law approving funding for the massive and costly project and maintaining its funding over the century-long period has yet to be passed, but the Netherlands is convinced that the sea level will rise and significant preventive measures must be in place before 2100.
Key Facts
Population: 16,715,999 (July, 2009, estimate)Area: 41,526 square kilometersGross domestic product (GDP): $670.2 billion (purchasing power parity, 2008 estimate)Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e): 213 in 1990; 174 in 1999; 217 in 2004Kyoto Protocol status: Ratified 2002
Bibliography
Abboud, Leila. “Before the Deluge.” The Wall Street Journal, March 9, 2009, p. R10. Good account of the Netherlands’ plans for future flood control.
Clapp, Jennifer, and Peter Dauvergne. Paths to a Green World: The Political Economy of the Global Environment. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2005. Good discussion of environmental issues and global warming with respect to trade and the world economy.
Delta Project. The Delta Project: Preserving the Environment and Securing Zeeland Against Flooding. Goes, Netherlands: Florad Marketing Group, 2002. Provides details of Netherlands’ flood protection projects.
Hoeksema, Robert J. Designed for Dry Feet: Flood Protection and Land Reclamation in the Netherlands. Reston, Va.: American Society of Civil Engineers, 2006. Excellent study of flood threats and water control covering the reclamation of the Zuiderzee and the coasts, sea defenses, and the Delta Project.
Shogren, Jason F. The Benefits and Costs of the Kyoto Protocol. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 1999. Excellent overview of the environmental and economic effects of the Kyoto Protocol.