Assessment of the Human Environment 2012

Report

On 24 September 2012, the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency presented its second biannual ‘Assessment of the Human Environment’ to outgoing Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, Ms Schultz van Haegen. In this comprehensive study PBL describes the developments in the quality of the human environment and indicates which progress has been made regarding the policy tasks related to the environment, nature and spatial planning. In addition to the book, the assessment also has its own website.

Greening of the economy impossible without revising government policy

The quality of our local environment has improved in many aspects, over the past decade, also because of the policies in place. Environmental quality has improved for air, water and soil, despite the considerable growth of the economy. Biodiversity loss has been slowed down, and well-coordinated spatial investments by both government and private parties have strengthened the infrastructure and led to the renovation of run-down neighbourhoods.

Economic growth and improvements to the local environment, however, also involve pollution, biodiversity decline and the use of resources in the rest of the world. Therefore, the improvement in our local environment is in stark contrast with three large global environmental objectives, namely those of mitigating climate change, halting biodiversity loss and the sensible management of scarce resources such as fossil fuels, nutrients and rare earth metals. The global policy tasks are becoming even larger due to a growing world population and the increase in prosperity in emerging economies.Although, in the Netherlands, the effects related to these large global objectives will only be truly felt in the long term, they do require the revision of current government policy. Action is required now, to prevent the large environmental policy tasks from having a disrupting effect on the economy and society over the long term, as the mortgage on the future would otherwise become prohibitive. This calls for a clear vision by the national government that would lead to a predictable course and be translated into concrete actions.

Greening of the economy is the way to the future for the Netherlands. The focus would need to be particularly on the development of a low-carbon energy system and on sustainable food production and consumption. The business innovations and citizens’ behavioural changes that are needed to achieve such a greening may be stimulated by national government by means of a different pricing system. In addition, spatial development that takes such greening into account would also increase the chances for its success. This would involve a spatial development that reduces both the resource demand and environmental pressure, and one that creates opportunities for a sustainable production of energy and food. Furthermore, such a greening of the economy would also turn the Netherlands into a more competitive establishment location. A successful strategy for achieving this would involve custom-made spatial design that is well-coordinated and supported by government.

Authors

PBL Authors
Ton Dassen Mark van Veen

Specifications

Publication title
Balans van de Leefomgeving 2012
Publication date
24 September 2012
Publication type
Rapport
Page count
371
Publication language
Engels
Product number
539