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Which other climate targets also apply to the Netherlands?

This deep dive focuses on the 49% and 55% targets. However, these are not the only climate goals that exist for the Netherlands. Let's look at other historical and current goals.

historical goals

Several climate targets were mentioned in the introduction. The table below shows whether we have met historical, national goals. 

wdt_ID Year Commitment Achieved?
71991Reduce CO2-emissies met 3-5% reduceren in 2000 ten opzichte van 1990No, emissions had increased by 5.6%
81996Stabilization of greenhouse gasses in 2020 compared to 1990Yes, there was 25.5% reduction
91997Reductie van broeikasgassen met gemiddeld 6% in de periode 2008 - 2012Ja, -7,3% reductie in 2010, exclusief activiteiten in het buitenland
10200730% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2020 compared to 1990No, it was 25.5%
11200720% renewable energy by 2020Nee, het was 10,7 - 11,2% eigen productie
1220072% energy savings per year to 2020No, it was 1.5%
13201316% renewable energy by 2023 Not sure yet, but likely yes
142013100 petajoules additional energy savings through 2020No, it was 80 petajoules
152016Reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990Not yet known
162019Urgenda Climate Case: 25% CO2 reduction by 2020 compared to 1990Yes, it was 25.5%

Year

Commitment

Achieved?

1991

Reduce CO2 emissions by 3-5% in 2000 compared to 1990

No, emissions had increased by 5.6%

1996

Stabilization of greenhouse gasses in 2020 compared to 1990

Yes, there was 25.5% reduction

1997

Reduction of greenhouse gasses by an average of 6% in the period 2008 - 2012.

Yes, -7,3% reduction in 2010

2007

30% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2020 compared to 1990

No, it was 25.5%

2007

20% renewable energy by 2020

No, it was 10,7 - 11,2%

2007

2% energy savings per year to 2020

No, it was 1.5%

2013

16% renewable energy by 2023

Yes, the amount was 17%

2013

100 petajoules additional energy savings through 2020

No, it was 80 petajoules

2016

Reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990

Not yet known

2019

Urgenda Climate Case: 25% CO2 reduction by 2020 compared to 1990

Yes, it was 25.5%

There were also European targets that were in force. These were often more binding than national targets. The table below shows whether we met historical, European targets. 

wdt_ID Year Commitment Achieved?
172009Nationaal doel voor de Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) in de periode 2013 - 2020 van maximaal 921 megaton uitstootYes, 787 megatons
182009Nationaal doel voor Energy Efficiency Directive  (EED) in de periode van 2013 - 2020 van minimaal 482 petajoule energiebesparingYes, at least 593 petajoules
192013National target for the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) of 14% renewable energy by 2020Yes, with the purchase of renewable energy in Denmark it was 14.0%

Year

Commitment

Achieved?

2009

National target for the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) in the period 2013 - 2020 of up to 921 megatons of emissions.

Yes, 787 megatons

2009

National target for the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) in the period from 2013 - 2020 of at least 482 petajoules of energy savings

Yes, at least 593 petajoules

2013

National target for the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) of 14% renewable energy by 2020

These were the historical national and European climate targets. In Chapter 5 we were able to see the progress on the current national 49% and 55% targets. Below you can see if the Netherlands is on track to meet the current European targets for the non-ETS sectors (ESR), renewable energy (RED), energy efficiency (EED) and land use (LULUCF).

ESR

The ESR sets targets for the built environment, mobility, agriculture and non-energy intensive industry. The table below shows the total projected emissions applicable to the ESR target in the Netherlands in 2030.

Expectation 20230

ESR

(megatons, cumulative 2021 - 2030)

KEV 2022

865

KEV 2023

794 – 834

KEV 2024

800

Chance that target will be reached: >95%

Fit for 55

830

esr

renewable energy (RED)

The RED sets the target for renewable energy production. The table below shows the total expected renewable energy production in the Netherlands in 2030. 

Expectation 20230

Renewable energy (RED)

KEV 2021

27% (549 petajoule)

KEV 2022

31% (577 petajoule, with a range of 491 – 627 petajoule)

KEV 2023

30,7%, with a range of 25,7 to 33,9%

KEV 2024

33,4% (629 petajoule, with a range of 559 – 681 petajoule)

Chance that target will be reached: <5%

Fit for 55

39%

energy savings (EED)

The EED sets (cumulative) targets for energy savings in the period 2021 - 2030. The table below shows the total expected energy savings in the Netherlands through 2030. 

Expectation 20230

Energy savings (EED)

(in petajoule, cumulative savings 2021 – 2030)

KEV 2022

721 – 939

KEV 2023

1168 – 1415

KEV 2024

920 – 1445

Chance that target will be reached: <5%

Fit for 55

1300

energy savings (EED)

land use (LULUCF)

LULUCF sets targets for emissions from land use. The table below shows the total projected emissions for land use in the Netherlands in 2030.

Expectation 20230

Land use (LULUCF)

(in megatons)

KEV 2022

2021 – 2025: 4.9 megaton credit

2026 – 2030: 3.2 megaton credit

Total: 8.1 megaton

KEV 2023

2021 – 2025: 4,5 – 7,4 megaton credit

2026 – 2030: -0,1 – 5,9 megaton credit

Total: 8.1 megaton

KEV 2024

2021 – 2025: 8,9 megaton credit

2026 – 2030: 0,3 megaton credit

Total: 8.1 megaton

Fit for 55

Maximum 4.5 megaton (per year)

For the Netherlands, there is a binding target of no more than 4.5 megatons of emissions in 2030. Since the Netherlands is expected to meet this target earlier, it accumulates credits. These credits can be used to offset any outstanding reduction task for the ESR target (if any). 

wrapping-up

In this chapter you could see how the Netherlands is performing with respect to historical and future climate targets. The current Dutch targets (from the previous chapter) and European targets are intertwined: they focus on the same sectors, but are calculated differently. Fortunately, with the annual publication of the Climate and Energy Outlook, progress is easy to follow.

This was all the information on Dutch climate policy we wanted to share. In the next chapter you will see (chronologically) all the important milestones that have passed in the past chapters. 

wrapping-up

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