News
An overview of all new items related to this dossier.
More innovation, better education and a greener economy are required to maintain prosperity
Quality of life is high in the Netherlands compared to other European countries, but it seems impossible to retain this level of prosperity, in the long run. More innovation, better education and a greener economy are required to maintain prosperity, according to the Sustainability Monitor for the Netherlands 2011.
15-09-2011
Environment and poverty require a global perspective
Climate change, overexploitation of fish stocks, land erosion and resource scarcities are examples of environmental issues that require globally coordinated solutions. This is in the interest both of developing countries and of the Netherlands.
16-06-2011
Accelerated progress required to achieve target on child mortality
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on access to food, safe drinking water and basic sanitation, and the use of modern energy are key to achieve the MDG target on child mortality, and may close the child mortality gap with the MDGtarget in Sub-Saharan Africa by a third. This is the conclusion of the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in their contribution to the World Bank’s Global Monitoring Report 2011.
26-04-2011
Resources: not depleted, but expensive
Current high prices of food, oil and many other resources are indications of increasing scarcity. This scarcity, however, has little to do with stock depletion. Badly functioning markets and wrong policy reactions play a particularly important role.
14-03-2011
What is the economic value of biodiversity?
The economic value of biodiversity is an important subject at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Nagoya. Monday 25 October was dedicated to discussing the international study on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB). According to Pavan Sukhdev, Study Leader of the TEEB: economic invisibility of nature is a problem that should be solved.
29-10-2010
Continuing biodiversity loss predicted, but could be slowed
A new analysis of several major global studies of future species shifts and losses foresees inevitable continuing decline of biodiversity during the 21st century. However, it offers new hope that it could be slowed if emerging policy choices are pursued.
29-10-2010
Producers hold the key to halt biodiversity loss
Dutch demand for products from tropical regions is influential in the rapid decline of local plant and animal species (biodiversity) in those regions. These are not only products such as palm oil, coffee, wood, or soy for animal feed, but also meat and fish, all delivered to us via trade chains. Some of these products are consumed directly, while others are used in the production of export goods. Examples of such exported end products are wood products and meat (with imported animal feed used in the production of the latter).
19-10-2010
Global ecosystems heavily under pressure; the PBL identifies new strategies for the COP10 in Nagoya
The mere protection of valuable nature areas, although still necessary, will not be sufficient for reducing global biodiversity loss in the coming decades. To strongly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, structural changes in consumption and production are needed. A reduction in meat consumption would be of great benefit. In addition, changes are needed especially in agriculture, forestry, fishery and in the supply of energy.
05-10-2010
Integration of Ecosystem Goods and Services into international policies as opportunity to reduce poverty
This study shows how local delivery of ecosystem goods and services (EGS) is closely linked to international policies on development cooperation, trade, climate change and reform of international financial institutions. Integrating or mainstreaming EGS considerations into these policies provides significant opportunities to contribute to reducing poverty while simultaneously improving the quality of local EGS.
05-08-2010
The land use effects of biofuels lead to biodiversity loss
The objective of using biofuels is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the long term, this can reduce the negative impact of climate change on biodiversity. Several biofuels are grown in existing agricultural areas. This will indirectly lead to loss of natural area on the short term through transfer of current production to other world regions. Assessing the balance between short-term losses and long-term gains for biodiversity shows that it may take decades to centuries before losses are compensated for by long-term gains.
27-05-2010
By-products of biofuels reduce indirect land-use change
The cultivation of energy crops on arable land may lead to the displacement of food crops and to indirect land-use change (ILUC) with biodiversity loss and extra greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the energy crops for biofuels deliver feed as by-products, reducing the land use for feed production elsewhere, and thereby substantially reducing these negative indirect effects.
02-04-2010
Agricultural intensification may restrict indirect effects of bio-energy
Agricultural intensification has the potential to reduce indirect land-use change from biofuels. If such intensification is realised only by applying more fertiliser, this may lead to substantial indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Improvement of fertiliser-use efficiency is essential to prevent these emissions.
02-04-2010
Interaction nitrogen deposition with climate change and loss of biodiversity
The CCE Status Report 2009 demonstrates that effects of nitrogen deposition are interrelated with the change of climate and biodiversity. The report proposes indicators, modelling methodologies and results addressing critical loads, dynamics of ecosystem recovery and changes of plant species diversity to support integrated policies for mitigating air pollution and the change of biodiversity and climate.
18-03-2010
Indirect effects of bio-energy worrisome
Bio-energy has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Indirect effects might partly or even completely undo this advantage. Indirect land use change (ILUC) – leading to emissions and loss of nature – is an important example, but there are other indirect effects, as well.
18-02-2010
Release GISMO User Support System 1.0
05-11-2009
Getting into the Right Lane for 2050
29-10-2009
Averting global environmental problems is feasible and affordable
Current trends in fossil-fuel use and inefficient land use will lead to large global environmental problems with respect to climate change and biodiversity loss. Technical and economically feasible options are available to meet the challenge to avoid these problems. The main issue is that of creating institutional and policy conditions for a more sustainable economy.
26-10-2009
Scientific underpinning of tool use in integrated assessments
Policy assessments can be improved by making better use of tools such as multi-criteria analysis and costbenefit analysis. Information about these tools is now available as website. This website also provides guidance on when to use what tool. The scientific justification of the website can be found in the publication ‘tool use in integrated assessments’.
22-01-2007
